The Belonard Trojan is a dangerous weapon used against computer users worldwide. It infects mainly via Counter Strike in-game client vulnerabilities. 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 | Belonard Trojan |
| Type | Trojan |
| Short Description | The Belonard 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 Belonard Trojan. |
Belonard Trojan – Distribution Methods
The Belonard Trojan has been detected in an ongoing attack campaign which targets a new weakness in the popular computer game Counter Strike 1.6. According to the released information this infection makes use of a newly discovered vulnerability categorized as Remote Code Execution. The evidence that this is the case comes out from the fact that several of the weaknesses were identified in game builds. Two of the weaknesses are found in the official game client and four in modified pirate versions.
The Belonard Trojan consists of 11 components and it includes several scenarios according to the given situation. Depending on the type of version the criminals are using a different injection method is employed. The usual mechanism is to use a remote code execution weakness which is launched from a hacker-controlled server. Whenever the players launch the multiplayer mode of the game they will be given a list of servers from which they can choose. If a malware one is chosen the relevant code will automatically transfer dangerous libraries to the clients.
A complex initial check s performed in order to check if any Belonard Trojan files are available on the freshly infected computer. Depending on the obtained information the required files will be downloaded, various versions are devised in order to address the current conditions.
The Belonard Trojan will install a special component that will protect the deployed files from any tampering or removal. This is done by filtering the requests, files and commands from other game servers. All user interactions are transferred via a specially designed network connection.
Other methods that can be employed by the victims include the following mechanisms:
- Malicious Download Sites — The creation of hacker-made sites that pose as legitimate download sources is one of the most technique when spreading malware of all types. They are hosted on similar sounding domain names as well-known pages and may even use self-signed security certificates. Common variants include search engines, download portals, product landing pages and etc.
- Email Phishing Tactics — The criminals can utilize SPAM phishing tactics in order to coerce the recipients into thinking that they have received a legitimate message from a well-known company or service. They contain stolen content from the real sources and the infections can be caused via interaction with any links, images, multimedia and etc. They can be attached directly to the emails.
- File Sharing Networks — They are used by end users in order to share both legitimate and pirate content. The most popular option at the moment is BitTorrent.
- Browser Hijackers — They are made by the hackers as counterfeit browser plugins, known as “hijackers” — this is the name given to them as they will change the default settings of the web browsers. They are usually found on the relevant repositories with fake user reviews and user credentials. The descriptions will promise new feature additions or performance optimizations. As soon as they are installed the relevant virus deployment will take place and any other relevant actions.
Belonard Trojan – Detailed Description
One of the first components that are run once the Trojan has infiltrated the computer is to run a data harvesting component. It can be programmed to extract information that can be grouped in the two main types of data:
- Private Information — The engine can be programmed to extract extensive information about the victim users. This is done by looking out for specific strings such as their name, address, phone number and any stored account credentials.
- Machine Information — There is a wide variety of information that can reveal a lot of data about the compromised machines. It includes a full list of the installed hardware components, certain user settings and current operating system conditions.
Through the initial infection this system check is made mandatory as it allows the Trojan to automatically choose the most appropriate version of the post-infection engine. It is downloaded from the malware server by the main infection engine.
What’s more interesting is that a preliminary check is done after the Trojan files have been downloaded. This is done in order to ensure that a previous infection has not happened. What will happen next is that a persistent installation will be initiated. In this particular case this is a collection of several malicious actions. The first one is the modification of the Windows Registry — it is done by creating new strings for the Belonard Trojan. This is followed by modification of configuration files and certain boot options which will make the main engine automatically to start as soon as the computer is powered on.
All of the collected information is transferred immediately to the hacker operators. A peculiar feature of this particular threat is to set up a service that takes the name of “Windows DHCP Service” which is the name of a legitimate and important network service. After this module has completed running the Trojan will start a persistent connection to a hacker-controlled server. At random periods the Trojan will launch a new search for Counter Strike game clients, the infection modules and a connection to the relevant malicious servers.
One of the dangerous components associated with this particular threat is the game modifications module. It will compare the installed clients to its own internal list of customized versions and modify the CS files accordingly by either adding in new files, modifying existing ones or altogether deleting certain parts of the game’s structure. The newly uploaded payloads will emulate fake game servers on the compromised devices. The next component will create proxies for these servers and register them with the Steam API. This means that potentially all Counter Strike 1.6 gamers are vulnerable.
As a result of the infections a large-scale botnet has been created. Security researchers were able to disable the first wave of compromised machines however we anticipate that a follow-up attack campaign may follow.
Remove Belonard Trojan Completely
To remove Belonard 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 miner 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.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove Belonard Trojan from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Belonard Trojan on Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Belonard Trojan in Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Belonard Trojan from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Belonard Trojan from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Belonard Trojan from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Belonard Trojan from Internet Explorer.
- Guide 8: Disable Belonard Trojan Push Notifications in Your Browsers.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
About the Belonard Trojan Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Belonard 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, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on Belonard Trojan?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the Belonard Trojan threat is backed with VirusTotal https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.
References
1.Browser Redirect – What Is It?
2.Adware Is Malicious, and It Uses Advanced Techniques to Infect
3.The Thin Red Line Between Potentially Unwanted Programs and Malware
4.The Pay-Per-Install Affiliate Business – Making Millions out of Adware
5.Malicious Firefox Extensions Installed by 455,000 Users Blocked Updates
How to Remove Belonard Trojan from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Belonard Trojan
Step 2: Uninstall Belonard Trojan and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Belonard 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 Belonard Trojan there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.
2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.
3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.
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.
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Belonard Trojan with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.
2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.
4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.
Video Removal Guide for Belonard Trojan (Windows).
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Get rid of Belonard Trojan from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Belonard Trojan and remove related files and objects
1.Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3.In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Belonard Trojan:
4.Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5.In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Belonard Trojan. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference.
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Belonard Trojan. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Belonard Trojan via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Belonard Trojan. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Belonard Trojan files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Belonard Trojan, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Video Removal Guide for Belonard Trojan (Mac)
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove Belonard Trojan from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2:Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Erase Belonard Trojan from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Uninstall Belonard Trojan from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Remove Belonard Trojan from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Belonard Trojan will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups
Eliminate Belonard Trojan from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications caused by Belonard Trojan from Your Browsers.
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
Belonard Trojan FAQ
What is Belonard Trojan?
The Belonard Trojan threat is adware or browser redirect virus. It may slow your computer down siginficantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What are the symptoms of Belonard Trojan?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and has poor performance in general.
Symtpom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts reccomend that you check your computer for viruses.
What types of Unwanted Programs are there?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your Mac can be the following types:
- Rogue Antivirus programs.
- Adware.
- Browser hijackers.
- Clickers.
- Fake optimizers.
What to do if I have a "virus" like Belonard Trojan?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most adware or unwanted program threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them from your browser and computer. One reccomended way to do that is by using a reputable malware removal software that can take care of the removal automatically for you. There are many anti-malware apps out there that you can choose from. SpyHunter is one of the reccomended anti-malware apps, that can scan your computer for free and detect any viruses, tracking cookies and unwanted adware apps and eliminate them quickly. This saves time when compared to doing the removal manually.
How to secure my passwords and other data from Belonard Trojan?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your e-mail passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activiites with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these reccomendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
More tips you can find on our website, where you can also ask any questions and comment underneath the articles about your computer problems. We will try to respond as fast as possible.
