TSPY_FAREIT.ADI

Posted: August 21, 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.

Ranking:	2,259
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	22,590

First Seen:	August 21, 2013
Last Seen:	October 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

TSPY_FAREIT.ADI is a Trojan downloader and spyware program that installs Zeus, a specialized banking Trojan that compromises your bank account by intercepting transmissions between your browser and the bank's website. The most current attacks distributing TSPY_FAREIT.ADI Trojans are targeted at residents of the United Kingdom in spam e-mail messages crafted to look like messages from HM Revenues and Customs regarding Value Added Tax (or VAT) forms. While e-mail attachments, as major infection vectors, always should be regarded with some suspicion, detecting TSPY_FAREIT.ADI can be made difficult due to its lack of symptoms, and SpywareRemove.com malware analysts encourage removing TSPY_FAREIT.ADI as soon as possible with anti-malware software due to TSPY_FAREIT.ADI's natural tendency to install additional high-level threats onto your PC.

Don't Answer this Taxman When He Comes Calling

TSPY_FAREIT.ADI belongs to a family of multiple-component backdoor Trojans that already have a fairly well-identified history of initiating attacks against computers – both by themselves and with the help of other PC threats that they install. TSPY_FAREIT.ADI and other Fareit Trojans should be treated as significant security risks due to their backdoor connections to remote servers and overall attack capabilities, which often include functions for stealing personal information. However, a characteristic more specific to TSPY_FAREIT.ADI than the above attacks is its confirmed payload: a variant of Trojan Zeus that's identified as TSPY_ZBOT.ADD.

TSPY_ZBOT.ADD and other versions of Zeus, as SpywareRemove.com malware experts have noted in past analysis, inject malicious content into your browser to phish for bank account information while also stealing any already-input account information directly. All of this is done without any symptoms that would lead the victim to suspect that an external program could be interfering in their browser's interaction with the bank website.

TSPY_FAREIT.ADI's distribution is handled by spam e-mail messages that are themed after tax returns communications. While such messages are especially popular scams in the United States (as an indirect result of its famously complex taxation system), TSPY_FAREIT.ADI spam targets residents of the United Kingdom. TSPY_FAREIT.ADI's dropper is concealed in a file attachment which, SpywareRemove.com malware experts emphasize, should be detectable by appropriate anti-malware tools.

The Problem with Paying Your Dues to TSPY_FAREIT.ADI

Besides being a Trojan that installs brand-new malware onto your PC under fraudulent pretenses, TSPY_FAREIT.ADI also includes a basic routine for stealing personal data from multiple types of browsers, FTP clients, e-mail clients and file managers. Other attacks from TSPY_FAREIT.ADI may be varied according to the instructions TSPY_FAREIT.ADI receives from its C&C server, and by default, any TSPY_FAREIT.ADI infection should be assumed to consist of multiple components that all will need to be removed. High-level PC threats like TSPY_FAREIT.ADI usually will include numerous defenses against being detected visually, although updated anti-malware software should experience minimal issues in removing TSPY_FAREIT.ADI.

At the end of the day, as important as it is to understand how to remove TSPY_FAREIT.ADI and related PC threats, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers still insist on the important of preventative defenses, as well. E-mail file attachments, even when they appear to come from official government sources, always should be scanned before being opened. Popular hoaxes, such as fake tax returns, mail delivery notices and similar scams always should be deleted on sight unless you have a specific reason to expect such a message in your inbox.

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:

VAT_7808740.zip

File name: VAT_7808740.zip
Mime Type: unknown/zip
Group: Malware file

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

services.easyrecipessearch-svc.com

The following messages's were detected:

#	Message
1	'Thank you for sending your VAT Return online. The submission for reference 7809740 was successfully received on Wed, 24 July 2013 08:38:54 +0100 and is being processed. Make VAT Returns is just one of the many online services we offer that can save you time and paperwork,” the bogus emails read.'