Zemot

Posted: September 11, 2014

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:	117

First Seen:	September 11, 2014
Last Seen:	May 22, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Zemot is a variant of Upatre, a group of Trojan downloaders noted for distributing spyware and related high-level threats. Although Zemot originally was identified in 2013, Zemot continues to be in distribution, with tens of thousands of infected PCs estimated in recent months. Besides sharing Upatre's e-mail-based distribution scam, Zemot also is installed through exploits on compromised websites, and a Zemot infection does not necessarily correlate with any visible symptoms. Passive security features provided by anti-malware products can offer protection from Zemot or remove Zemot (and its payload) when necessary.

Zemot: A Trafficker in Trojan Deities

Zemot is one of the many PC threats to distribute variants of Trojan Zeus or Zbot, along with borrowing some of that Trojan family's code for its secondary modules (to disable security features and enable threatening traffic). Zemot's payloads crystallize around a focus on backdoor Trojans and spyware that are capable of collecting account login information, especially for bank websites. Another prominent, albeit less dangerous function, included in Zemot payloads is click-fraud, or the ability to generate artificial 'clicks' for advertisement traffic bonuses. The latter occasionally causes major system slowdown and performance issues that are a direct result of the threat using most of your system's resources in background processes.

Originally, Zemot was named TrojanDownloader:Win32/Upatre.B, but it also bears sufficient distinguishing traits worth rating Zemot as a threat of its own. Malware researchers have confirmed two separate distribution methods for Zemot that particularly set Zemot apart:

E-mail spam distributed by Trojans like Kuluoz occasionally is one-half of Zemot's distribution strategy. File attachments included in these e-mail messages disguise themselves as harmless files, but, once opened, install Zemot, which installs other threats, in its turn.
Zemot also sometimes is installed through hostile or hacked Web domains. These domains are modified to include appropriate exploits, often utilized through 'exploit kits' like the Nuclear Pack or Magnitude. These packs are designed to detect multiple vulnerabilities, exploiting whichever one is most appropriate, and usually will not require any consent (or awareness) on the victim's part.

Keeping Zemot on a Downward Spiral

At its high end, Zemot is suspected to have compromised over thirty thousand PCs, but currently, its numbers are under one-third of that maximum. Until PC security institutions and law enforcement can fully combat the servers used by Zemot for accomplishing its attacks, you should consider your computer's defenses to keep your system uninfected. While avoiding spam e-mail is a simple enough procedure, malware experts warn that many exploit kits based on websites use attacks that may be difficult or impossible to track by eye, and warnings from your anti-malware products may be your only notification of such a possible attack. Updating your software can reduce the vulnerability your PC has to these attacks.

Any comprehensive effort at deleting Zemot also should involve anti-malware scans of your entire system. By definition, Zemot is designed to assist with the installation of other malware, and Zemot also has been seen installing different payloads besides Zeus. Currently, Zemot also is configured to use unique file names for its payloads that may result in multiple instances of a single threat on one PC (such as multiple versions of Rovnix, a boot sector rootkit).

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:

%TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_b61c21a2.exe

File name: %TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_b61c21a2.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%TEMP%\Java_Update_5a8bf3e9.exe

File name: %TEMP%\Java_Update_5a8bf3e9.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%TEMP%\Java_Update_<random_characters>.exe

File name: %TEMP%\Java_Update_<random_characters>.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file

%TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_<random_characters>.exe

File name: %TEMP%\UpdateFlashPlayer_<random_characters>.exe
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Group: Malware file