Worm.Ahack

Posted: September 13, 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:	2,558
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	24,726

First Seen:	September 13, 2013
Last Seen:	October 16, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Worm.Ahack is a worm and file-infecting virus that creates copies of itself by infecting new executable files, such as EXE or DLL. Internet Relay Chat or IRC is Worm.Ahack's preferred infection vector and also may double as a means of receiving malicious instructions from any criminal operators. Although Worm.Ahack was most prominent almost a decade ago, malware experts consider Worm.Ahack still to be a viable danger to any computer that Worm.Ahack manages to infect and recommend using anti-malware tools for removing Worm.Ahack without harming any normal files that are infected by Worm.Ahack.

The Worm that Hacks Your Programs to Get Around

Worm.Ahack, also detected under aliases including IRC_AHACK.A, IRC-Worm.IRC.Ahack, mIRC/AntiHack and IRC.Family.Gen, is an 'old-school' worm that uses IRC-based chat channels to distribute itself – most likely through spam bots and similar methods that are capable of disseminating poisonous links on a widespread basis. Unlike most worms, however, Worm.Ahack also dabbles in virus-style propagation techniques that allow Worm.Ahack to infect executable files of various completely separate applications. Launching a program file infected by Worm.Ahack may allow Worm.Ahack to spread and has a high chance of causing various issues hampering the stability of the 'host' infected program.

Currently, malware experts only can verify Worm.Ahack infections for the Windows operating system. Worm.Ahack's distribution is, thankfully, low on a worldwide level, but frequent users of IRC may still have encounters with Worm.Ahack and similar PC threats. Although information on Worm.Ahack's payload is not available, it is worth emphasizing that most worms have been known to facilitate the theft of confidential financial information or otherwise compromise the privacy and/or security of the affected computer. In many cases, corporate PCs and government systems are targeted preferentially over personal computers, although personal computers also are at risk. Despite these potential issues, there are no explicit symptoms related to a Worm.Ahack infection; detecting Worm.Ahack by eye remains an unlikely scenario, at best.

Out Hacking the File Hacker for a Safer Computer

Because, if Worm.Ahack is unattended for a prolonged period, Worm.Ahack may compromise a wide range of files on your computer, SpywareRemove.com malware analysts recommend a particular quick defense against any possible Worm.Ahack-related infection. Any updated anti-malware program with a good reputation should be able to remove Worm.Ahack without doing any damage to files that are infected by Worm.Ahack, and removing the actual files infected by Worm.Ahack always should be considered unnecessary for disinfecting your computer.

Online chat room users are reminded to avoid all of the typical infection methods that Worm.Ahack and other worms favor for infecting new computers. Unusual file attachments or hyperlinks always should be avoided whenever possible, and browser security features combined with appropriate anti-malware protection can block drive-by-download attacks that could spread Worm.Ahack through such links.

Worm.Ahack

Threat Metric

The Worm that Hacks Your Programs to Get Around

Out Hacking the File Hacker for a Safer Computer

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