Wacatac Trojan (virus) - 2022 update

What is Wacatac Trojan?

Wacatac is malware triggering the alert that can informal about security issues but also appears when there are no threats at all

A trojan is a type of malware that might allow remote code execution to the attackers

Wacatac Trojan is a threat that can affect the system significantly. Trojans diminish the security of the machine and can lead to more serious infections. This malware, once injected, performs a variety of system changes and starts its malicious activities immediately.

The detection of this malware is known as Trojan:Win32/Wacatac. The trojan enters machines primarily via the spam email attachments named “DHL Shipment Notification 3300777400-Delivery for 10 July 2019_pdf.gz”, or similar. Nevertheless, victims can also get infected when downloading pirated software or by visiting malicious sites that host drive-by downloads. Trojans easily spread around using malicious ages and deceiving links, and websites.

The particular malware is developed with various functionalities in mind and it can cause major issues, and lead to damage. The Wacatac trojan can collect details like passwords, usernames, banking details, and other personally identifiable information or data potentially used in later scams.

The Trojan seems to be spreading with a new wave in 2022 because multiple campaigns and samples got detected by researchers. It still shows chain infection functions and infiltrates machines to spread additional malware like ransomware or cryptocurrency miners.

You might not even see symptoms of the infection, but the Wacatac detection names appear on the screen when the computer detects questionable activities. It is better to react as soon as that happens and run anti-malware tools to clear any of the infections and terminate the intruder fully to avoid further damage on the machine.

Wacatac overview

This type of malware can be extremely dangerous – it can harvest personal information (login information, banking details, etc.) or proliferate other malware (ransomware, cryptominers, rootkits,^[1] RATs, and other dangerous infections). The worst thing about its the fact that processes are silent and malware mainly works in the background. Additionally, the infected machines might be included in a botnet and help perform DDoS attacks against specific targets.

You need to thoroughly check the machine he the alert appears. It is possible that the detection is falsely positive, so you do not need t to eliminate any infection. Thus, check the article further, learn about potential symptoms, and make sure to clean the machine from any threats by running a trustworthy anti-malware program.

What Trojan.Script.Wacatac.B.ml detection means?

The detection of this trojan might also be a false positive,^[2] as users reported that Microsoft Defender is also flagging legitimate installers like Thaiphoon Burner and Soulash video game. If that is the case, you should add an exclusion to the legitimate file; in the meantime, you should be extremely concerned if the detection is not a false positive – you should remove Wacatac Trojan as soon as possible.

So, how do you know if the virus-detection is verified and you are dealing with an actual trojan? The best way to check whether the detection is indeed a false positive is to upload it to sources like Virus Total. If the infection is real, you will be able to see detection from other vendors, such as:^[3]

• Win32:CrypterX-gen [Trj]
• A Variant Of Win32/Injector.EGOB
• Artemis!6906A347D3A8
• Gen:Variant.Ursu.529108 (B)
• Gen:Variant.Ser.Ursu.9513
• Trojan.Win32.VBKryjetor.bzrz, etc.

Unfortunately, that is the only way you will know if you are infected with Wacatac Trojan. In most cases, real infection is programmed in a way that lets it hide its malicious activities in the background, meaning that infection symptoms are lacking.

What does the infection cause?

If the Trojan:Win32/Wacatac inserted other parasites, you will likely encounter frequent program crashes, slow operation of the device, BSoDs,^[4] increased amount of advertisements when browsing, installed programs or files that you have never seen before, etc.

Unfortunately, the infection of any malware, including this trojan might result in severe consequences, including money loss, installation of other malware, corruption of credit score, or even identity theft/fraud. Silent pieces of infections often get used as vectors for additional malware.

This is a virus that usually enters users' machines when they click on a fake email attachment

Therefore, you should always make sure that your computer is virus-free by employing reputable anti-malware software with real-time protection features. Besides, you can also perform a full virus removal using security tools such as Malwarebytes, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, or other reputable vendors.

The most common malware spreading methods – malicious email attachments

Malware authors are smart individuals who chose to use their skills for malicious purposes. Therefore, they usually employ a variety of sophisticated methods to deliver the malicious payload to thousands of users; for example, exploit kits, web injects, brute-force attacks, and other practices.

Nevertheless, possibly the most prominent malware delivery method is spam email attachments. From trojans to ransomware – the obfuscated files that are attached to phishing emails can deliver the nastiest viruses. In most cases, the message comes from a seemingly well-known company, such as DHL, Amazon, or Bank of America. Here's an example:

Track DHL Express Shipment

Dear Customer,

Your email address was found on package with unclear delivery address as per DHL policy, we will not fail to return the package if it remain unclaimed within the next 48 hours.

Kindly review the receipt and make necessary steps if the package belongs to you to avoid loss of property.
Please Click and Download attached receipt to review the package details.

Best Regards,

DHL TEAM
Copyright 2019

As evident, the email is not coming from a real DHL shipment company. Nevertheless, it is easy to imagine how many people are actually awaiting a package by this carrier and could fall for the trick and download the malicious attachment.

Thus, never open suspicious spam email attachments; if you have doubts if the file is legitimate, you should always scan it with tools like Virus Total before opening it.

Check for virus detections and false positives before removing the Wacatac

Before you remove the trojan from your machine, you need to make sure that it is not a false positive. As we previously mentioned, you should scan the file with different security software or use tools like Virus Total. Once you are sure that it is actually malicious, you should proceed with its termination immediately.

Virus detection might be a false positive by Microsoft Defender. To make sure it is not the case, upload the suspicious files to Virus Total

While Wacatac Trojan removal can be performed manually, it can be hardly recommended for regular users. Trojans are serious infections that modify the Windows operating system, affecting its most vital parts. Therefore, you should instead use anti-malware software that would terminate the virus for you and also restore the normal system functions.

Be aware that the virus might interfere with security software or prevent its removal. If that is the case, you should access Safe Mode with Networking as we explain below. You should do that as soon as those alerts appear to avoid serious damage.