The Tinba Trojan is a dangerous weapon used against computer users worldwide. It infects via vulnerabilities and other common methods. Our article gives an overview of its behavior according to the collected samples and available reports, also it may be helpful in attempting to remove the virus.
Threat Summary
| Name | Tinba Trojan |
| Type | Trojan |
| Short Description | The Tinba Trojan is a computer virus that is designed to silently infiltrate computer systems. |
| Symptoms | The victims may not experience any apparent symptoms of infection. |
| Distribution Method | Software Vulnerabilities, Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages, Scripts and others. |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Tinba Trojan. |
Tinba Trojan – Update September 2019
A newer version of the Tinb Troject appears to be based on the Visual Basic 6 runtime which requires the relevant runtime to be installed properly on the victim systems. Instead of using fake Adobe Flash Player updates, scam email messages or other methods the hackers behind the attack campaign uses a different approach. The criminal group will distribute malware Flash Games, one of the popular carriers is called FergusGamez.exe which includes the following file description: “flash game Lucknow is the capital city of the state of Uttar”. Their file size is less than 100 kB and the malware code is carefully obsuscated in them. This makes it very difficult to discover the virus infection.
Like previous versions the Tinba Trojan will execute a security bypass that will detect if its running inside a virtual or isolated environment. This is done by doing 3 independent checks: for free space, memory status and network adapter profiles. If the main engine decides that it is safe to continue it will spawn another process which is a legitimate Windows application into which its own malicious code will be placed. Through it will inject itself into the explorer.exe allowing for various other actions to take place:
- Persistent Installation — This enables to automatically start once the computer is powered on. It can also block access to the recovery boot options.
- Windows Registry Changes — The engine can edit out existing entries in the Windows Registry as well as create new ones. This can lead to severe performance issues, errors and data loss.
As usual the Trojan client will establish a secure and persistent connection with the hacker-controlled server which is typical for Tinba.
Tinba Trojan – Update July 2019
The Tinba Trojan has been associated with targeted attack campaigns against certain certain targets. The last global wave was against Russian companies which means that this weapon can be used effectively against whole states and sensitive targets. To a large degree this is chosen because of its small size and its ability to interact with the target operating system. It can inject itself to various processes and as a result gain a lot of information about the victims and conduct its banking Trojan activities.
Tinba Trojan – Distribution Methods
The Tinba Trojan is one of the most dangerous banking Trojans of late which comes up with active campaigns in intervals, targeting different companies and financial institutions. It takes code snippets from other threats and has been known to security researchers since 2012. One of the distinct characteristics that it possesses is that its code base is very small and it can take various forms. Many variants of it can be produced.
It can be embedded across a variety of file types:
- Documents — The entire Trojan code base can be compressed in macros that can be made part of the most popular document types: presentations, text documents, spreadsheets and databases. Whenever they are opened by the victims a prompt will appear asking them to enable the scripts. This action will trigger the Trojan delivery and installation.
- Application Installers — The code can also be placed in the application installers of all popular software: creativity suites, system utilities, productivity and office tools.
- Stand-Alone Files — The virus files can be created in separate files that can be spread using a variety of tactics.
One of the main methods that are used in order to infect the targets are code infections on existing processes. As this is a Trojan the hackers behind it can use various platforms that launch vulnerability testing. They load the network addresses of the intended victims and probe for any open services that may be of older versions. If a weakness is found the platform will attempt to deploy the Tinba Trojan.
There is no information available about the attackers the source code of the Trojan is available on the underground hacker communities. The Trojan can be offered by various collectives that offer custom variants for a certain fee. It can establish man-in-the-browser attacks and network manipulation. This means that the hackers can use a variety of other mechanisms as well. They ca create networks of malicious sites that use similar sounding domain names to legitimate and well-known Internet portals. To make them appear as trustworthy self-signed security certificates can be added.
The captured samples that have been found in the current and ongoing Tinba Trojan are posing as fun online Flash games. The method of distribution is through web sites and various kind of redirects. Many virus infections can be caused by people visiting these sites or downloading the presented executables files. Larger attack campaigns can also make use of web content elements such as ads, banners, pop-ups and etc.
Tinba Trojan – Detailed Description
The discovered malware in the current attack campaign is called “Dealhoya” attributed to the project name. As they are spread as online flash games or stand-alone executables the victims can get infected via different mechanisms, thus leading to a large number of potentially affected users.
As soon as an infection has been made the main engine will trigger a complex behavior pattern which will launch various components in a predefined sequence. It can not only launch its own commands, but also will interact with the Windows API. One of the first actions that are run are related to the security bypass. By calling certain API functions and monitoring processes the Tinba Trojan can find out if it is running inside a virtual machine or such software are installed on the target computers. If such a condition is found the Trojan may stop running or altogether delete itself in order to evade detection. This behavior can then be extended to other security software such as anti-virus programs, firewalls, intrusion detection systems and etc. Their respective engines can be blocked or entirely removed.
The code injection will happen next — the Tinba Trojan will create a process for itself from which it will launch a legitimate service known as winver.exe onto which the malicious code will be inserted. This is the standard application which is responsible for displaying the Windows version information.
The injected code will search for the presence of explorer.exe, if it is active in memory secondary code will be placed. The main Tinba Trojan code will be embedded in all active processes. As a result more than ten or more injected processes running at the same time.
An executable file will be dropped to the %AppData% location and following this the Windows Registry values will be modified in order to lead to a persistent installation. This means that the threat will automatically start once the computer is powered on.
The fact that an unique value is assigned to each value shows that a built-in algorithm is programmed to generate them. It usually takes its input values from information such as the installed hardware parts, system settings and certain operating system environment conditions.
One of the main goals of the engine is to establish a secure and persistent connection to a hacker-controlled site. It allows the criminals to take over control of the machines at any given time, deploy other threats and steal sensitive data.
What follows this procedure is the actual banking Trojan operations. The explorer.exe will use a man-in-the-browser attack which will look out for any active web browsers and other applications used to access online web banking. The banking Trojan will monitor for signals of such interaction and keylog all entered account credentials thereby hijacking the services. All accessed information will be encrypted and sent immediately to the hacker operators.
Banking Trojans can react in several different ways:
- Keylogger Use — The Tinba Trojan can use the built-in keylogger in order to harvest the credentials of the victims as soon as they are entered.
- Browser Interaction — The Tinba Trojan can interact directly with the installed web browsers by monitoring their use. If an online banking event is detected the associated engine will automatically monitor the users entered keyboard strings and mouse movement.
- User Interaction Changes — While the users are making transactions or other types of online banking activity the Trojan can automatically change the recipient fields without making it visible to the users.
We anticipate that other versions might include another type of malicious behavior.
Remove Tinba Trojan Completely
To remove Tinba Trojan manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal tutorial written down below. In case this manual removal does not get rid of the Trojan malware completely, you should search for and remove any leftover items with an advanced anti-malware tool. Such software can keep your computer secure in the future.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
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Preparation before removing Tinba Trojan.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
- Scan for Malware
- Fix Registries
- Remove Virus Files
Step 1: Scan for Tinba Trojan with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Tinba Trojan on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Tinba Trojan there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Step 3: Find virus files created by Tinba Trojan on your PC.
1.For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC's screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be "fileextension:exe". After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navigation box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn't found it yet.
2.For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS's the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Tinba Trojan FAQ
What Does Tinba Trojan Trojan Do?
The Tinba Trojan Trojan is a malicious computer program designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. It can be used to steal sensitive data, gain control over a system, or launch other malicious activities.
Can Trojans Steal Passwords?
Yes, Trojans, like Tinba Trojan, can steal passwords. These malicious programs are designed to gain access to a user's computer, spy on victims and steal sensitive information such as banking details and passwords.
Can Tinba Trojan Trojan Hide Itself?
Yes, it can. A Trojan can use various techniques to mask itself, including rootkits, encryption, and obfuscation, to hide from security scanners and evade detection.
Can a Trojan be Removed by Factory Reset?
Yes, a Trojan can be removed by factory resetting your device. This is because it will restore the device to its original state, eliminating any malicious software that may have been installed. Bear in mind that there are more sophisticated Trojans that leave backdoors and reinfect even after a factory reset.
Can Tinba Trojan Trojan Infect WiFi?
Yes, it is possible for a Trojan to infect WiFi networks. When a user connects to the infected network, the Trojan can spread to other connected devices and can access sensitive information on the network.
Can Trojans Be Deleted?
Yes, Trojans can be deleted. This is typically done by running a powerful anti-virus or anti-malware program that is designed to detect and remove malicious files. In some cases, manual deletion of the Trojan may also be necessary.
Can Trojans Steal Files?
Yes, Trojans can steal files if they are installed on a computer. This is done by allowing the malware author or user to gain access to the computer and then steal the files stored on it.
Which Anti-Malware Can Remove Trojans?
Anti-malware programs such as SpyHunter are capable of scanning for and removing Trojans from your computer. It is important to keep your anti-malware up to date and regularly scan your system for any malicious software.
Can Trojans Infect USB?
Yes, Trojans can infect USB devices. USB Trojans typically spread through malicious files downloaded from the internet or shared via email, allowing the hacker to gain access to a user's confidential data.
About the Tinba Trojan Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Tinba Trojan how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific trojan problem.
How did we conduct the research on Tinba Trojan?
Please note that our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware definitions, including the various types of trojans (backdoor, downloader, infostealer, ransom, etc.)
Furthermore, the research behind the Tinba Trojan threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by trojans, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.