PipeMon
PipeMon is the name of a Trojan which is designed to silently infect the target computers. It is presumed to be developed and used by one of the famous criminal groups called Winnti. At this moment the main emphasis appears to be on game development companies.
What Is PipeMon Trojan
The PipeMon Trojan is a new malware that is presumed to be coming from one of the advanced hacking groups called Winnti, a criminal collective which is known to have been behind large-scale attacks in the past. The analysis shows that a whole new approach is being used, this time the Trojan is directed against computer game developers.
PipeMon Trojan
An active PipeMon Trojan infection will make it so that the hackers can take control of the victim systems. Trojans are among the most advanced types of malware and they will infect the computers without revealing themselves to the computer owners. This particular threat uses a novel approach which makes it even more dangerous.
PipeMon Trojan Summary
| Name | PipeMon Trojan |
| Type | Trojan/Keylogger |
| Short Description | Aims to steal data from your computer and log the keystrokes you type in it. |
| Symptoms | Your computer may behave strangely and new files may be dropped in several Windows Directories. |
| Distribution Method | Malicious e-mail attachments. |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss PipeMon Trojan. |
PipeMon Trojan – Virus Description
The PipeMon Trojan is a very advanced malware threat that has been recently detected in an ongoing attack. It is possible that the campaign has been orchestrated by the Winnti hacking group. They are an experienced collective of criminals that have directed viruses to high-profile targets in the past. According to the available research this time the threat is directed against game developers.
In order to have a higher damage potential the hackers have included a novel infection approach. The distribution mechanism relies on integrating the virus code in modules that are used by the developers, in this case the target systems were the build networks. They are used to compile the ready-made code, this is the phase that follows the actual programming.
At the moment the majority of attacks are against South Korean and Taiwan developers of MMO games — they are very popular as they are often published on multiple platforms. MMO games when infected can then in turn affect millions of players that are connected to their networks. Given the previous history of the Winnti hacking group we can conclude that they may be sponsored by Chinese government authorities or agencies. The possible reason for this may be identity theft and the gathering of information about the company internal networks.
A new backdoor technique has been used to deploy the PipeMon Trojan. The hackers have acquired a legitimate security certificate that has been stolen in 2018. The virus installation code has been inserted in a component used by the Microsoft Visual Studio programmers when working on their games. The Trojan code is hidden in the Windows print processor module — this is intentional in order to install itself as a persistent threat. It will automatically be started as soon as the computer is booted.
There are several malware objectives that can be used by the criminals in this case:
- Information Theft — As soon as access is obtained by the hackers they can gather information about the systems and all contained within files. This can be used for code theft of the games, technologies and sensitive information about the company employees.
- Further Malware Distribution — If the criminals insert Trojan code into the games that are being developed or have been released they can potentially reach millions of users.
- System Overtake and Modification — Trojan viruses are commonly programmed to hijack the operations of the infected computers. The hackers can modify system configuration files and the Windows Registry among others. This can lead to performance issues, the inability to run certain apps and data loss.
The certificate signing process is a security feature of the Windows operating system that operates in a trusted model — only signed modules by a central authority will be used. As the stolen certificate was signed in this manner the accompanying code will also not be scanned by security programs.
PipeMon Trojan – Virus Removal GUIDE
In order to fully remove this infection from your computer system, recommendations are to try the automatic removal guidelines below. They are particularly created in order to assist you separate this malware first of all and after that remove it’s destructive files. If you lack the experience in malware removal, the best method and most reliable one according to safety professionals is to use an innovative anti-malware software program. Such will not just immediately get rid of the PipeMon infection from your computer system, yet will certainly additionally ensure that your computer system remains shielded versus future infections.
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 PipeMon Trojan from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of PipeMon Trojan from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove PipeMon Trojan from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase PipeMon Trojan from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall PipeMon Trojan from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove PipeMon Trojan from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate PipeMon Trojan from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove PipeMon Trojan from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove PipeMon Trojan
Step 2: Uninstall PipeMon 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 PipeMon 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 PipeMon 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.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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of PipeMon Trojan from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall PipeMon 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:
- 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 PipeMon 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:
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 malware from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove PipeMon 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
Erase PipeMon 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
Uninstall PipeMon 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
Remove PipeMon 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 PipeMon Trojan will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate PipeMon 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.
