JS.Phremous
Worm like JS.Phremous harms the computer by creating duplicate copy of the folder name with .LNK extension. The original folder is set to hidden.
JS.Phremous is a computer worm that may infect local drives, removable drives and network shared drives. This worm may arrive on computers as an .HTML file through various propagation methods. Though, spam email campaign and file download are the primary sources of JS.Phremous infection as per our latest analysis.
Damage Level: Low
Systems Affected: Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Windows Vista
Characteristics
There are several ways to launch a maliciously coded .HTML file. Browser like Internet Explorer or Notepad can be utilized to open the file. While launching the worm, the initiating program will be set outside of the viewing screen so that it is hidden from the victim. Only visible indication of open program is the existing tab in Windows taskbar.
On the other hand, JS.Phremous will create shortcut icons that will not reveal any open programs on Windows taskbar when launched. The worm runs in a stealth way that user may not see or detect any signs of it. Once it is inside the system, the worm will drop several copies of MOrPheS.tpl. At the same time, JS.Phremous will make a .LNK version of the following folders on the computer and hides the original one.
- %DriveLetter%\[FOLDER NAME]
- %UserProfile%\Desktop\[FOLDER NAME]
- %UserProfile%\Start Menu\[FOLDER NAME]
- %UserProfile%\My Documents\[FOLDER NAME]
- %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\[FOLDER NAME]
- %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programas\[FOLDER NAME]
Distribution
JS.Phremous will spread by making use of the huge opportunity it can obtain from the Internet. The worm will propagate through email, peer-to-peer network connections, instant messaging programs or social networking sites. When JS.Phremous is inside the computer, it will extend the infection to other computer via removable USB drives, network drives, and local drives of the compromised PC.
How to Remove JS.Phremous
1. Temporarily Disable System Restore (Windows Me/XP). [how to]
2. To be able to identify even the most recent variant of JS.Phremous, open your antivirus application and update the virus definition file.
3. Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking.
- From a power-off state, turn on the computer and press F8 on your keyboard repeatedly.
- Your computer will display Windows Advanced Boot Options menu. Please select Safe Mode with Networking.
- The system will boot Windows loading only necessary drivers and files.
4. Open your antivirus program and run a full system scan. After the scan, delete all infected items. If unable to delete, better place them in quarantine. Once the scan is complete, please proceed with the next step.
Scan with Norton Power Eraser:
Additional virus removal tool provides deep scanning technology to eliminate other threats not detected by a normal virus scan. Use this tool with extra caution.
5. Go to this link and download Norton Power Eraser.
6. Once the download completes, double click on the file NPE.exe to run the program.
7. It will prompt for End User License Agreement, click on Accept to continue.
8. On NPE main window, click on Scan. Then select Exclude Rootkit Scan. Click on Continue to proceed.
9. Virus scanning may take some time. After running the scan, NPE will display the scan result.
Important! If there are any detected threats under Suspicious, remove the check mark. Only threats in Detected category are necessary to remove at this point. Make sure that you mark the Create System Restore Point before proceeding with the fix.
10. Now click on Fix to start removing the threats including JS.Phremous remnants if there are any.
11. When done, Norton Power Eraser will restart the computer. Then after a reboot, it will initialize and display the eliminated threats.
12. You may now close Norton Power Eraser.
Alternative Removal Method for JS.Phremous
Option 1 : Use Windows System Restore to return Windows to previous state
If JS.Phremous enters the computer, there is a big chance that Windows files, registry entries and other essential components are also infected. System Restore can reinstate clean system files by restoring the configuration to an earlier date. The method also replaces compromised files with a clean version. If you have a saved restore point before JS.Phremous infiltrates the PC, we highly encourage you to execute this procedure if none of the above works. You may proceed with Windows System Restore, click here to see the full procedure.
Option 2 : JS.Phremous manual uninstall guide
IMPORTANT! Manual removal of JS.Phremous requires technical skills. Deleting system files and registry entries by mistake may result to total disability of Windows system. We advise you to perform a backup of registry before proceeding with this guide.
1. Kill any running process that belongs to JS.Phremous.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard.
- When Windows Task Manager appears, look for JS.Phremous files (refer to Technical Reference) and click End Process.
2. Delete all registry entries that belong to this malware.
- Press [Windows Key]+R on your keyboard.
- In the 'Open' dialog box, type regedit and press Enter. This will open registry editor.
- Find and delete registry entries as mentioned in Technical Reference section below.
- Close registry editor. Changes made will be save automatically.
3. Scan the computer with antivirus program.
- Connect to Internet and open your antivirus software. Please update to obtain the latest database and necessary files.
- Restart the computer in Safe Mode.
- Just before Windows logo begins to load press F8 on your keyboard.
- On Windows Advanced Boot Options, select Safe Mode and press Enter.
4. Delete all files dropped by JS.Phremous.
- While still in Safe Mode, search and delete malicious files. Please refer to 'Technical Reference'. Make sure that you execute 'End Task' first before deleting the file. Otherwise, the system will not let you perform this action.