What is PowerTrick? How to remove PowerTrick Trojan from your PC or Mac?
The PowerTrick Trojan is a backdoor that is deployed by the TrickBot Trojan which aims to hijack sensitive information, manipulate infected computers and be used for various crimes. An active attack campaign is being directed against high-profile targets. It is a PowerShell-based threat which will launch many different components upon infection .Read our article to learn what the PowerTrick Trojan is capable of and to read instructions on safely removing active infection.
Threat Summary
| Name | PowerTrick Trojan |
| Type | Trojan Malware |
| Short Description | A very dangerous backdoor Trojan capable of overtaking control of the machines. |
| Symptoms | The victims may notice performance issues and can get infected with other malware. |
| Distribution Method | TrickBot infection campaigns. |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss PowerTrick Trojan. |
PowerTrick Trojan is a new backdoor release that is dropped by the infamous TrickBot malware. During the onset of this campaign the security analysts believe that the group behind is believed to be based in Russia. The current attack campaign in which the PowerTrick Trojan is being sent appears to target primarily high-profile companies. TrickBot is one of the most popular weapon used against whole computer networks as it has been updated over the years with newer functionality every time. It is designed to infiltrate networks using custom settings that are designed to overcome the security barriers of the end targets.
The PowerTrick Trojan as the latest threat is dropped via the TrickBot infiltrations — they are usually done via social engineering techniques or direct vulnerability exploitation. This can vary between the attacks and will usually depend on the exact type of intended targets. By the name of the threat PowerTrick is a Powershell backdoor which will run a series of malicious tasks as soon as it is deployed on the system. It is designed to start the commands and then report back the result to the criminals in encoded form.
Thanks to the available analysis of the captured sample we can give further details on how the PowerTrick Trojan works. The first action will be to run a larger backdoor release, this step is known as the “first stage deployment”. This larger main module will start the hacker commands and run the related modules. Like other popular threats it includes a data harvesting component which is capable of hijacking data about the users themselves and their computers. This is particularly dangerous as it can be used for other crimes as well — blackmail, financial abuse and identity theft. The stolen data will be used to generate an unique ID associated with every computer.
The PowerTrick Trojan will then execute the hacker-issued commands — they can range from different operating system changes to data manipulation.
The PowerTrick Trojan also includes compatibility modules showing that the hackers may have used the Metasploit hacking toolkit. This is one of the most popular solutions used for breaking into systems — it is loaded with exploits that correspond to weaknesses in the target networks.
The security analysts also detect the integration of a cleanup operation which is capable of removing identification strings that are related to the malicious code. This is done in order to hide the presence of the threat from administrators.
PowerTrick Trojan-infected machines will also create scheduled tasks in the system by creating new entries in the Windows Registry. This makes it very hard to remove active infections. By allowing the hackers to remote control the systems a lot of dangerous consequences will take place. The hackers will be able to hijack files, stop running applications and also install other malware.
How to Remove PowerTrick Trojan
In order to fully remove PowerTrick from your computer system, we recommend that you follow the removal instructions underneath this article. If the first two manual removal steps do not seem to work and you still see PowerTrick or programs, related to it, we suggest what most security experts advise – to download and run a scan of your computer with a reputable anti-malware program. Downloading this software will not only save you some time, but will remove all of PowerTrick files and programs related to it and will protect your computer against such intrusive apps and malware 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 PowerTrick Trojan from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of PowerTrick Trojan from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove PowerTrick Trojan from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase PowerTrick Trojan from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall PowerTrick Trojan from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove PowerTrick Trojan from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate PowerTrick Trojan from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove PowerTrick Trojan from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove PowerTrick Trojan
Step 2: Uninstall PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick Trojan from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick Trojan files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as PowerTrick 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick 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 PowerTrick Trojan will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate PowerTrick 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.
