Win64:Sirefef-A

Posted: August 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.

Threat Level:	9/10
Infected PCs:	785

First Seen:	August 1, 2012
Last Seen:	August 27, 2024
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Win64:Sirefef-A is a Trojan variant from the Sirefef family, a group of PC threats that are dedicated to creating backdoor vulnerabilities, downloading other forms of hostile software and disabling default security features. Win64:Sirefef-A, like many members of Sirefef, bears some traits of a rootkit and may often (but not always) be installed along with other Trojans and Sirefef-related malware. Side effects from Win64:Sirefef-A's attacks can include system freezes and critical system errors that force your computer to reboot, and SpywareRemove.com malware analysts suggest that you treat Win64:Sirefef-A as a high-level threat until you can delete Win64:Sirefef-A with suitably-sophisticated anti-malware utilities.

Why That Premium Theme May Cost More Than You Can Handle

Recent infections involving Win64:Sirefef-A (as of July 2012) have been found to use fake Tumblr sites that claim to be selling 'premium' themes. Just visiting these sites is enough to infect your PC, since they use drive-by-download exploits to install Win64:Sirefef-A without your consent. Related PC threats that may also be installed with Win64:Sirefef-A include a variant of DNS Changer (Win32:DNSChanger-VJ), a Trojan downloader (Win32:Downloader-PKU) and heuristically-detected malware (win32:malware-gen).

The immediate and most prominent symptom of a Win64:Sirefef-A infection is a total system freeze that forces a hard reboot of your PC. This doesn't stop with just Win64:Sirefef-A's installation and can continue throughout your attempts at computer usage while Win64:Sirefef-A is active, along with critical system errors that require soft reboots. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers note that using Safe Mode (a standard Windows feature) will prevent Win64:Sirefef-A from causing these side effects and can be used to help remove Win64:Sirefef-A with anti-malware software.

Other issues that are symptomatic of attacks by Win64:Sirefef-A and related PC threats include search engine redirects, a slowdown of your operating system, random device functionality errors and security-related program malfunctions. However, these symptoms may not appear in all Win64:Sirefef-A infections, unlike the issues noted earlier.

The Trouble with Breaking Through Win64:Sirefef-A's OS-Chilling Attacks

Win64:Sirefef-A, like most Sirefef-based PC threats, uses rootkit techniques to contaminate natural system components of Windows. These whitelisted files will be ignored by some anti-malware programs and should never be deleted manually due to damage the act would cause to your operating system. Although Win64:Sirefef-A is designed for 64-bit versions of Windows, other members of the Sirefef family have also been seen attacking 32-bit Windows platforms.

Besides using Safe Mode, SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have also found use in booting from a removable media drive to verify that no other PC threats are operating during the time of a system scan. Anti-malware products that have a good track record for removing rootkits and other high-level threats should be able to remove Win64:Sirefef-A without any long term damage.

Use SpyHunter to Detect and Remove PC Threats

If you are concerned that malware or PC threats similar to Win64:Sirefef-A may have infected your computer, we recommend you start an in-depth system scan with SpyHunter. SpyHunter is an advanced malware protection and remediation application that offers subscribers a comprehensive method for protecting PCs from malware, in addition to providing one-on-one technical support service.

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Why can't I open any program including SpyHunter? You may have a malware file running in memory that kills any programs that you try to launch on your PC. Tip: Download SpyHunter from a clean computer, copy it to a USB thumb drive, DVD or CD, then install it on the infected PC and run SpyHunter's malware scanner.

Win64:Sirefef-A

Threat Metric

Why That Premium Theme May Cost More Than You Can Handle

The Trouble with Breaking Through Win64:Sirefef-A's OS-Chilling Attacks

Use SpyHunter to Detect and Remove PC Threats

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