Troj/HkCert-A

Posted: October 1, 2012

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Ranking:	16,798
Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	850

First Seen:	October 1, 2012
Last Seen:	August 28, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Troj/HkCert-A is an alert for PC threats that use a confirmed-as-compromised Adobe digital signature to avoid security protocols and promote themselves as trustworthy programs. Although Adobe has been confirmed to be taking action against this threat, Trojans and other types of malware that use Troj/HkCert-A's signature can continue to be dangerous to your PC. Troj/HkCert-A is a general label that can apply to threats with many kinds of different attacks, although SpywareRemove.com malware experts have found that many types of malware with fake certificates tend to be used as Trojan droppers that drop and launch other types of malware. Ideally, Troj/HkCert-A should be blocked by anti-malware defenses before Troj/HkCert-A can attack your PC, although competent anti-malware programs should be able to delete Troj/HkCert-A and related PC threats even after Troj/HkCert-A has been launched.

Why Adobe's Security Issues Can Turn into Your PC's Problem

Troj/HkCert-A is believed to have resulted from inadequate server security for a build (code development) Adobe server that allowed criminals to gain access to at least one set of legitimate Adobe signature-authorizing keys. With this legitimate signature coupled with a malicious program, criminals can bypass various security features and encourage victims to install the 'Adobe-verified' software without any thoughts given to the consequences. So far, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have seen only two cases of Troj/HkCert-A in use:

MyGeeksmail.dll, a malicious ISAPI filter-type DLL file. Malicious DLL files can be used for many purposes but are often involved in loading, installing or protecting other PC threats.
Pwdump7 v7.1, a spyware program that grabs Windows password hashes. This can lead to accounts being compromised by criminals who have access to the stolen passwords.

However, there's no reason why the same criminals can't apply the signature to other PC threats, and SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend that, for the moment, you take caution when interacting with Adobe-signed software.

A Future Safe from Troj/HkCert-A While Adobe Gets to Work

Windows is considered most vulnerable to Troj/HkCert-A attacks, although some Adobe programs with Macintosh compatibility (Adobe Story AIR, Adobe Muse and Acrobat.com desktop services) are also noted as at risk. Other operating systems, as well as Macintosh OSes that don't use the aforementioned vulnerable software, should be in no danger of suffering compromised security from Troj/HkCert-A's signatures.

Adobe plans to issue a revocation of Troj/HkCert-A's certificate early in October, which will prevent the signature from being used for future attacks. However, already-signed PC threats will remain signed and can continue to be dangerous to your PC. Given the association of current Troj/HkCert-A attacks with spyware, SpywareRemove.com malware experts recommend that you take appropriate measures to protect your passwords after clearing up any Troj/HkCert-A infection. Anti-malware software should be used to analyze and disinfect any PC that's compromised by Troj/HkCert-A, which may involve the presence of other PC threats.

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Users\<username>\Downloads\pwdump7\PwDump7.exe

File name: PwDump7.exe
Size: 77.82 KB (77824 bytes)
MD5: d1337b9e8bac0ee285492b89f895cadb
Detection count: 398
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Users\<username>\Downloads\pwdump7\PwDump7.exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: August 28, 2023