TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF

Posted: February 25, 2013

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.

Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	64

First Seen:	February 25, 2013
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF is a Trojan dropper that disguises itself as a harmless PDF document in order to exploit an Adobe Reader vulnerability. This vulnerability lets TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF install a second Trojan onto your computer that's designed to compromise your PC's security in multiple ways. SpywareRemove.com malware analysts have found TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF's latest infection vectors to involve copied reports from Mandiant (an information security company) regarding Chinese cyber espionage. If you've accessed similar documents from a source that may not be trustworthy, you should strongly consider scanning your PC to make sure that TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF or other malware related to TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF doesn't need to be removed from your computer.

TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF: Using Your Interest in Malware News Against You

TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF is one of the multitude of PC threats to use PDF files as its preferred means of conveyance and disguise. The latest links promoting TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF will inform you that TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF is nothing more than Mandiant's APT1 report on Chinese spyware – a report that such reputable institutions as the Forbes website are recommended that you read ASAP. However, the TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF version of this report also includes a PDF vulnerability that's used to attack your computer. SpywareRemove.com malware experts warn that there may be no meaningful symptoms of this attack, which drops a normal PDF document onto your PC as a distraction from its malicious functions.

TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF installs another Trojan, TROJ_AGENT.EVF, onto your PC. While the analysis of TROJ_AGENT.EVF is ongoing, SpywareRemove.com malware experts note that common attacks associated with such PC threats can include:

Backdoor vulnerabilities that allow criminals to issue direct commands to your PC.
Theft of your personal information through either generalized (recording all of your keyboard input) or specialized (form-grabbing) spyware functions. Account passwords for e-mail clients, popular social networking sites, financial sites and FTP clients are all especially at risk.
The installation of specialized PC threats, such as ransomware (Trojans that lock your computer with a warning message until you pay a fee), browser hijackers, worms and rogue security programs.

Avoiding the Bad News of TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF with a Little Common Caution

As a result of TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF's fairly obvious path to your machine, you should be capable of avoidingTROJ_PIDIEF.EVF-inspired infection just by avoiding news PDFs from unusual sources – particularly if they resemble popular news topics like the latest Mandiant reports. However, since TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF-compromised PDFs try to look identical to the real thing, you also should be prepared to be safe and use anti-malware software to scan your computer after any contact with PDFs that may have been harboring TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF. Opening the PDF with a vulnerable Adobe Reader program is all that's necessary for TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF to install TROJ_AGENT.EVF automatically.

Although TROJ_PIDIEF.EVF files are readily-identifiable, other types of Trojans that use similar means of attacking your computer are capable of using different disguises. However, SpywareRemove.com malware research team places some stress on the prolific exploitation of the PDF file format, which has carried a wide range of Trojan attacks, with examples including TROJ_PIDIEF.KFR (which installs a backdoor Trojan), BKDR_POISON.EVE (which is installed under the disguise of a second Mandiant report) and TROJ_PIDIEF.EGQ (which is distributed via e-mail spam themed after Korean news).

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:

file.exe

File name: file.exe
Size: 828.74 KB (828744 bytes)
MD5: 2a42bf17393c3caaa663a6d1dade9c93
Detection count: 22
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: February 27, 2013

%User Temp%\AdobeARM.exe

File name: %User Temp%\AdobeARM.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%User Temp%\Adobe Reader .pdf

File name: %User Temp%\Adobe Reader .pdf
Mime Type: unknown/pdf
Group: Malware file