Zeus Panda virus. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Zeus Panda virus actively attacks computer users worldwide
Zeus Panda virus (also known as Panda Banker virus) is a new banking trojan that is an updated version of the infamous Zeus Trojan. The malicious program is typically distributed via malicious spam and most likely via exploit kits.[1]
Before installing itself on the system, Panda Banker Trojan performs language checks and aborts the installation in case the system uses Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian or Kazakh language as default. Next, the Trojan checks whether there are any analysis tools running on the system.
Zeus Panda Banking Trojan enrolls each infected host into a botnet and assigns a unique bot ID per computer. It also creates a special registry key to assign itself as a startup program (making it possible to activate itself during each computer boot).
The main objectives of this banking Trojan are:
- Steal login information for victim’s bank accounts, social media accounts, and any other online accounts the victim uses;
- Generate fraudulent transactions and steal money from victim’s bank account.
To achieve these goals, the malware employs web injects that insert HTML codes into network traffic of a web browser. The virus mainly targets Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, MicrosoftEdge and Panda processes to inject itself in.
The virus intercepts the traffic of an Internet browser and modifies the content of websites displayed in the browser.
Experts agree that Zeus Panda removal is a highly complicated task because this virus is apparently a product of very experienced malware developers. It uses advanced obfuscation techniques and tries to evade elimination at all costs. Besides, it stays on the compromised computer without showing any signs of existence, allowing it to steal private information for months or years.
Select 'Safe Mode with Networking'
Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Networking'
Select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
Select 'Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt'
Enter 'cd restore' without quotes and press 'Enter'
Enter 'rstrui.exe' without quotes and press 'Enter'
When 'System Restore' window shows up, select 'Next'
Select your restore point and click 'Next'
Click 'Yes' and start system restore
If you suspect that your machine has been endangered by the described variant of Zeus virus, we highly recommend you to remove Zeus Panda malware as soon as you can. The virus will grab your credentials and other sensitive information without any doubts and send it directly to cybercriminals, says Dieviren.de team[2]. Consequently, you might have to deal with problems such as identity theft or financial loss.
Distribution of Panda Trojan
Researchers from Proofpoint[3] suggest that this Trojan spreads via malicious spam and at least three exploit kits including Angler EK, Nuclear EK, and Neutrino EK. Analysts point out that criminals behind the Trojan employed geo-filtering to target Australia and UK banks mainly.
Speaking of the malicious spam campaigns, there are two of them. The first one spreads a tricky Word document that downloads a gert.exe file from 78.128.92[.]31. The spam campaign is aimed at mass media and manufacturing companies, and it leverages CVE-2014-1761 and CVE-2012-0158 vulnerabilities.
The second campaign also spreads compromised Word documents. During this campaign, a small number of employees working at financial companies were targeted. The malicious attachment downloads Godzilla loader which then downloads Panda Banker (panda.dat).
Recently, the criminals behind this Trojan started using BlackHat SEO techniques to position compromised web pages at the top of Google search results. Consequently, people searching for information related to banks or financial information would get results with malicious pages shown in the top positions.
After clicking on such search result, the victim would get redirected to deceptive sites suggesting to download a compromised Word document that contains Zeus Panda payload.
Remove Zeus Panda Banker
It is extremely hard to remove Zeus Panda virus, so do not even try to look for the Trojan’s components manually. Even eyes of an experienced computer technician can hardly notice the activity of this virus, so you will have to scan your computer with an automatic malware detection software in order to locate it and eliminate it securely.
Please use the instructions provided below to perform a safe boot and begin Zeus Panda removal. The sooner you will remove the virus, the better. Do not forget to change all your passwords and inform your bank about this virus as possible risks associated with your account to protect yourself from financial loss.
To remove Zeus Panda virus, follow these steps:
Remove Zeus Panda using Safe Mode with Networking
To eliminate Zeus Panda Banker, restart your computer in Safe Mode and carefully follow instructions provided below. You will need to root out the Trojan from your computer safely and ensure that it didn't leave any of its components. If this method won't help you to remove the banking malware from your system, use alternative System Restore method instead.
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Step 1: Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Networking
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.
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Select Safe Mode with Networking 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.
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Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Networking in Startup Settings window.
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Step 2: Remove Zeus Panda
Log in to your infected account and start the browser. Download Reimage or other legitimate anti-spyware program. Update it before a full system scan and remove malicious files that belong to your ransomware and complete Zeus Panda removal.
If your ransomware is blocking Safe Mode with Networking, try further method.
Remove Zeus Panda using System Restore
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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.
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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.
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Once your computer becomes active, select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt in Startup Settings window.
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Step 2: Restore your system files and settings
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
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Now type rstrui.exe and press Enter again..
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When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Zeus Panda. After doing that, click Next.
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Now click Yes to start system restore.
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Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.
Finally, you should always think about the protection of crypto-ransomwares. In order to protect your computer from Zeus Panda and other ransomwares, use a reputable anti-spyware, such as Reimage, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareWebroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus or Malwarebytes Anti Malware
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References
- ^ Luca Ebach. Analysis Results of Zeus.Variant.Panda. G Data Advanced Analysis. Whitepapers.
- ^ Dieviren. DieViren. Malware Removal Tutorials.
- ^ Axel F. Panda Banker: New Banking Trojan Hits the Market. ProofPoint. Threat Insight Blog - Cybersecurity Intelligence.