Backdoor.andromeda

Posted by Lisa Blanc on February 22, 2017

What is Backdoor.andromeda?

Backdoor.andromeda is an extremely dangerous computer infection that will turn your system into a zombie bot. Although it might seem that the program cannot steal your information or destroy your system, it can actually do those things, as well as use your computer later on for malicious attacks and other illegal activities. You have to protect your computer from such exploitations, and the best way to do that is to remove Backdoor.andromeda immediately. You may not notice at first that this infection is on your computer, so you will do yourself a favor if you run regular scans with a licensed antispyware tool, checking every nook and corner of your computer’s system.

Where does Backdoor.andromeda come from?

Based on our research, this infection is a rather old Trojan. Backdoor.andromeda is part of an entire family of malicious backdoors. All these backdoors are connected into one Andromeda botnet. This botnet was first discovered in 2011, and the programming of this botnet allows the criminals to modify it in various ways, based on what they need.

This also means that the program has many ways to enter target systems. For instance, it can spread through infected websites, virtually coming from any page that has a Java or Flash plugin exploit. It also means that users accidentally infect their computers with this infection when they browse the Internet. It would be for the best to avoid web pages that are full of pop-up ads and various flash players. If you encounter a page that is very eager to offer you something, it is very likely there is a malicious program hiding behind all those pop-ups, so it is better to exit the page altogether than click on any of the ads to close them. The thing is that sometimes “closing” an exploit would initiate the malware download automatically. So you have to be very careful about it.

What does Backdoor.andromeda do?

Although this botnet is rather old, it is still quite active. Of course, it is not as prevalent as newer botnets, but it still should be taken seriously. When we encounter such infections, we often do not know it happens. Unlike browser hijackers or even adware, Backdoor.andromeda does not manifest its presence, so the infection may remain on your computer for quite a while before you notice that something is wrong.

What’s more, since this infection is a Trojan, it means it establishes a connection between the infected computer and its command and control center. As a result, the hackers can send in various commands, making Backdoor.andromeda do whatever they prefer. For instance, the program might log your keystrokes to steal your sensitive information. It might also easily turn your computer into a “zombie” and then use it in a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS). Have you ever encountered a situation where your favorite blog website was down or anything like that? Sometimes websites go down exactly because of such attacks. Botnets create and route so much traffic through one particular server, that it cannot cope with it and it literally crashes.

How do I remove Backdoor.andromeda?

If you do not want your computer to be used in such ways, you definitely need to get rid of this Trojan. It might be a bit complicated to delete the infection manually because Backdoor.andromeda tends to drop its files in random directories, and the files may have random names, too. Usually, the infection drops its files in the %TEMP% and %ALLUSERSPROFILE% directories. But it may also place its files somewhere else, depending on the configuration of the actual infection. Therefore, it might be rather complicated to remove Backdoor.andromeda manually.

That is why computer security experts strongly recommend that you scan your PC with a licensed antispyware tool to locate all the malicious files at once. A security application of your choice will also help you delete the infection without any difficulty. Automatic removal is always faster and more efficient than the manual one because you do not need to find all the malware components yourself.

If you need assistance with Backdoor.andromeda removal, please feel free to leave us a comment. Our team is always willing to help you. You can also contact us if you want to find out more about computer security in general, or if you think you need a few tips to tweak your system.