This Stantinko malware is 15-Year-Old and Has Infected 500,000 Windows Users

Recently, the security researchers have found a 15-Year-Old malware that simply uses clandestine techniques to perform monetization by injecting ads. Even this old dangerous malware also has the ability to install additional modules to gain complete administrative control.


Yes, it sounds bit odd, but, the Stantinko malware which is developed in 2002, when there was no current Windows architecture. At that time no one had heard of Windows Vista, Windows 7 and 8 or Windows 10, the most commonly used PC operating systems today. Despite this, Stantinko continues to wreak havoc in 2017, where it has infected more than 500,000 PCs, mainly in Russia and Ukraine.

The guilt must be put to one of the pillars of Windows, its eternal compatibility with the oldest software. The Stantinko malware continues to run on modern computers with minor modifications that cyber criminals have undertaken to keep up its dangerous effects. According to ESET security companies, the last modification dates from the beginning of 2017.

How does Stantinko malware works?

It installs itself and hides inside the false security extensions of Chrome, of name Teddy Protection and The Safe Surfing, that what they actually do is to insert own publicity in the webs by which we surf. In this way, the authors earn money thanks to the Trojan.

Its most common form of distribution is through an “.EXE” file included in Torrent files that contain pirated software and applications. Yes, it is common as there is nothing new.

The Stantinko malware is difficult to remove because it installs multiple persistent services resisting some antivirus. You need to perform the cleaning several times in a row or use an antivirus that includes a specific removal system for this type of malware if you want to permanently delete.

Stantinko has spread mainly by Russia and Ukraine, thus certifying its origin, but by the very nature of the Internet, it is not excluded that it spread to other countries.

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