Amanda – a dangerous backdoor trojan which gives control of your computer to hackers
Amanda - a backdoor trojan which hacks your system and lets the cybercriminal to perform actions over a remote server.
Amanda is a virus which belongs to the backdoor trojan category[1]. It infiltrates the system as a drive-by download or via malicious executables enabled by the user. The malware is capable of giving full control of the user's computer through a remote server and also deactivate or prevent security software from working. The trojan can inflict various damaging actions to the user, like stealing personal data while remaining silent on the system. What is more, the virus can deny the user control, which makes the machine inaccessible.
Name
Amanda
Type
Trojan
Danger
High. The victim loses control of his/her PC and might face personal data leakage.
Purpose
Stealing personal information from the user's computer
Effects
Computer systems are taken over by the hacker, various software is downloaded without permission, numerous pop-ups appear, details such as your bank account's might be stolen, etc.
As long as this sneaky trojan is in your system, it will mess up and modify various settings in your PC. According to research, the Windows Task Manager is used to perform various actions[2]. Nevertheless, it can inject unwanted software and other malware without your notice. In order to avoid further damage, better hurry up an remove Amanda virus from your computer. Consider using an anti-malware tool – we recommend FortectIntego.
While running various activity behind your back, the trojan might slow down your computer processing power as it will be overloaded by multiple malicious processes running in the background – that is another reason to proceed with Amanda removal. Although the virus might give you troubles while you try to eliminate it (for example, you might have to boot security software in Safe Mode), it will be worth it in the end.
Although trojan rarely emit any symptoms, some of these may be present:
Increased CPU usage;
Increased amount of pop-up ads;
Emails, social media messages and similar are sent in your name;
Software crashes or freezes;
Added/removed applications;
Overall slow PC operation.
Although the Amanda trojan can cause multiple damaging actions to your software, one of the main dangerous features is the information harvesting. The malicious program can record all your keystrokes, steal passwords from all online accounts, as well as obtain your bank account login details. This allows crooks to take money directly from your bank account, or sell the valuable personal information on the Dark Web.
Amanda is a serious malware infection which might disable your antivirus for some time. Trojans spread widely through the Internet
According to IT professionals[3], backdoor trojans can spread in more than one way:
Spam emails. This is the most prominent malware distribution method. Hackers often employ bots to send out a large number of phishing emails to victims with the intention to populate malicious payload. As soon as the user opens the deceptive file (many formats may be used – .doc, .xlsx, .html, .pdf, .txt, etc.) or clicks on the fake hyperlink, the malware is injected into the device right away.
Drive-by downloads. Users can inject their computers with malware by visiting dubious websites. It does not mean, however, that they were visited intentionally – redirects can lead here. Therefore, try to avoid suspicious sites, such as pornographic, file-sharing, and others.
System vulnerabilities. Hackers can abuse bugs in software and use exploit kits to inject malware directly into the machine. Fortunately, software developers often release patches to fix vulnerabilities and make the program secure. Therefore, it is vital to download updates as soon as they are available.
Fake updates and other fraudulent messages. Speaking about updates, there were millions of cases when victims got tricked into downloading malware by genuinely-looking software updates. For example, Adobe Flash is continuously releasing new patches, and users are used to downloading them often. However, setting updates to “Automatic” setting can prevent users from clicking on fake updates.
Delete Amanda and save your computer system
To remove Amanda virus from your PC, consider downloading an anti-malware tool. We advise using programs such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, or Malwarebytes. These cleaning tools will help you get rid of the cyber threat if installed properly. The anti-malware will show you some guidance which will lead you through the process.
After you take care of the Amanda removal, make sure you keep security software on at all times (real-time protection feature must be enabled, as it can block malicious files before they enter the computer).
Compatible with Microsoft Windows
Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Use Safe Mode with Networking to deactivate the trojan:
Important! → Manual removal guide might be too complicated for regular computer users. It requires advanced IT knowledge to be performed correctly (if vital system files are removed or damaged, it might result in full Windows compromise), and it also might take hours to complete. Therefore, we highly advise using the automatic method provided above instead.
Step 1. Access Safe Mode with Networking
Manual malware removal should be best performed in the Safe Mode environment.
Windows 7 / Vista / XP
Click Start > Shutdown > Restart > OK.
When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 button (if that does not work, try F2, F12, Del, etc. – it all depends on your motherboard model) multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
Select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Windows 10 / Windows 8
Right-click on Start button and select Settings.
Scroll down to pick Update & Security.
On the left side of the window, pick Recovery.
Now scroll down to find Advanced Startup section.
Click Restart now.
Select Troubleshoot.
Go to Advanced options.
Select Startup Settings.
Press Restart.
Now press 5 or click 5) Enable Safe Mode with Networking.
Step 2. Shut down suspicious processes
Windows Task Manager is a useful tool that shows all the processes running in the background. If malware is running a process, you need to shut it down:
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
Click on More details.
Scroll down to Background processes section, and look for anything suspicious.
Right-click and select Open file location.
Go back to the process, right-click and pick End Task.
Delete the contents of the malicious folder.
Step 3. Check program Startup
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Windows Task Manager.
Go to Startup tab.
Right-click on the suspicious program and pick Disable.
Step 4. Delete virus files
Malware-related files can be found in various places within your computer. Here are instructions that could help you find them:
Type in Disk Cleanup in Windows search and press Enter.
Select the drive you want to clean (C: is your main drive by default and is likely to be the one that has malicious files in).
Scroll through the Files to delete list and select the following:
Temporary Internet Files Downloads Recycle Bin Temporary files
Pick Clean up system files.
You can also look for other malicious files hidden in the following folders (type these entries in Windows Search and press Enter):
%AppData% %LocalAppData% %ProgramData% %WinDir%
After you are finished, reboot the PC in normal mode.
Remove Amanda Trojan using System Restore
Try activating the System Restore function in order to avoid further damaging consequences:
Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt Windows 7 / Vista / XP
Click Start→Shutdown→Restart→OK.
When your computer becomes active, start pressing F8 multiple times until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
Select Command Prompt from the list
Windows 10 / Windows 8
Press the Power button at the Windows login screen. Now press and hold Shift, which is on your keyboard, and click Restart..
Now select Troubleshoot→Advanced options→Startup Settings and finally press Restart.
Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Amanda Trojan. After doing that, click Next.
Now click Yes to start system restore.
Once you restore your system to a previous date, download and scan your computer with FortectIntego and make sure that Amanda Trojan removal is performed successfully.
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Amanda Trojan and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes
How to prevent from getting trojans
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
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