Supposed anti-spyware program SpyAxe is installed by a trojan named zlob.cy (aka Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Zlob) according to F-Secure. SpyAxe showed up on the scene about two months ago and has earned quite a name for itself. SpyAxe manages to appear on users' desktops without any notice or consent, as seen here, with a warning that your computer is infected with spyware. F-Secure says:
SpyAxe is nice enough to detect the Trojan that downloads it, but it won't disinfect it unless you pay for a SpyAxe license, $49.50 U.S. (plus a nonimal $2.95 transaction fee). I wouldn't dare pay for a licensed copy to verify that removal is actually done, but I have my doubts.
F-Secure says this infection is growing rapidly:
There seems to have recently been a huge spike in the distribution of Zlob. We found a way to see how many unique registration IDs have been handed out by the site Zlob registers with. Most of the day, there seemed to be about 1,000 new infections per hour, but now that the U.S. is waking up & powering on their computers, that number has risen to about 2,500 infections per hour.
Article compliments of ZDnet
by Suzi Turner
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