What is Anchor?
While we usually talk about one specific infection, Anchor happens to be a group of Trojan infections that target multiple systems worldwide. There have been several waves of this infection recorded, and users are always encouraged to learn more about Trojan distribution, so that they could avoid similar intruders in the future.
What’s more, we would like to point out that removing Anchor manually could be quite challenging. Therefore, it would be recommended to invest in a licensed security application that would terminate everything related to Anchor at once. After all, automatic malware removal is the fastest and the most efficient option you have.
Where does Anchor come from?
Anchor is closely associated with the TrickBot security threat. This infection is known to be distributed via phishing campaigns. Users are tricked into interacting with spam emails that carry malicious links. The emails that deliver TrickBot contain links that lead to Google Drive. Supposedly, the links should open an important file, but the truth is that by launching the file, users initiate the malware installation process, and their systems get compromised.
The thing with Trojan infections is that they can perform a lot of functions. Most of the actions that they perform depend on what the owners want them to do. So, the relation between TrickBot and Anchor is that Anchor is usually the secondary payload in the TrickBot infection. In other words, TrickBot works as a Trojan downloader that downloads several other infections on the compromised system. This is also one of the reasons that we say malware travels in packs. If you have one Trojan installed, the chances are that you have several other intruders, too.
This means that we need to be really cautious about the content we see online. It might be even something that lands in your inbox. But if you are not sure that the source of the content can be verified, please refrain from interacting with it. Otherwise, you might get infected with the likes of Anchor.
What does Anchor do?
As mentioned above, whatever the Trojan does might depend a lot on its command and control center. There are also several versions of this infection, and some of those versions can successfully delete themselves. It is not something unheard of. Malware files often have this function because it allows the criminals to avoid detection and removal. What’s more, Anchor_DNS, which is one of the Anchor versions, can function as a backdoor that allows other malware to enter the infected system.
For the most part, Anchor is used to attack the Point of Sale (PoS) systems. The name is quite self-explanatory, but it basically refers to a place where the financial transaction is carried out. Hence, Anchor is there to steal financial information.
The worst is that the managers of the infected systems might not notice at once that their systems were compromised. Also, Anchor usually aims at high-profile targets. So, the bigger the financial turnover you have out there, the bigger is the possibility that you will be targeted by Anchor and TrickBot.
How do I remove Anchor?
We have already established that manual removal is possible, but it is not recommended. Anchor might have many components running on your system, and some of them could be hard to find.
Unless you are an experienced computer user, you might not get all the details about manual removal. Hence, it is strongly recommended to delete Anchor with an automated antispyware tool. At the same time, by investing in a security program, you would improve your chances of avoiding such infections. Not to mention that running regular system scans would detect Anchor or other Trojans sooner. This way, you would prevent serious loss of information.
You can check out the manual removal guidelines below this description. However, if you have been infected with Anchor, we strongly recommend addressing an IT specialist or an IT firm that could help you deal with this intruder. Since this Trojan aims for high-profile targets, there is a very good chance that your IT department might have some solutions. If not, be sure to outsource cybersecurity professionals who can terminate Anchor and teach you more about ways to prevent Trojans from entering your systems.
Manual Anchor Removal
- Press Win+R and type %TEMP%. Click OK.
- Delete the most recent files from the directory.
- Press Win+R and type %UserProfile%. Click OK.
- Remove suspicious files from the directory.
- Press Win+R and type %AppData%. Click OK.
- Delete the folder with a random name.
- Press Win+R and type regedit. Click OK.
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\CurrentControlSet\Services\netTcpSvc\Parameters\ServiceDll.
- On the right pane, right-click and select to delete value data that executes files from %SYSTEMROOT% and %SYSTEMROOT%\System32.
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