BlackWorm RAT

What is BlackWorm RAT?

Although remote access Trojans (also known as “RATs”) are rare, they do exist. BlackWorm RAT is one of them, and while it was mostly active in 2014, it has not disappeared from the face of the virtual Earth. Most infamously, this malicious threat was employed by the Syrian Malware Team in what is believed to be state-sponsored attacks. This hacking group aggressively attacked major news websites (e.g., forbes.com) as well as the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) agency. These attacks occurred in 2014. Could they continue? That is a possibility. The hacking group could also have smaller targets and, therefore, be less noticeable. In any case, whether it strikes again or it disappears into the virtual void for good, it is important to know everything there is to know about this malicious infection. Our Anti-Spyware-101.com research team has a few important details to share with you, and we also discuss the removal of BlackWorm RAT. While it is unlikely that you will need to delete this infection, learning about it is crucial.

Do you know what BlackWorm RAT is?

BlackWorm RAT has many different versions. In 2014, during its most prolific attacks, the infection was on its 0.3 version. The latest version is 6.0, and it is now available as an open source project on GitHub. According to our malware research team, this project has been abandoned, and so there is a good chance that no one will ever use it again to attack anyone. That being said, it is always possible that the infection could be revived. By default, BlackWorm RAT is set to install itself to %Temp% as SvcHostA.exe, but it is unknown how this malware might spread. Maybe a different malicious infection could be used to drop and execute this remote access Trojan, and maybe victims could be tricked into executing it themselves by opening misleading spam email attachments. Whatever the case might be, the point is to help the threat slither in without alerting the victim or the installed security software. This is much easier to do if this software is outdated or weak. If the security software you use is reliable, it will not allow the infection to slip through the cracks. Instead, it should catch and delete malware before execution.

Since BlackWorm RAT can be used by anyone, its functionality can be modified as well. That being said, we have a general idea of what this remote access Trojan is capable of. By default, it should be able to help remote attackers control Windows processes, restart or shut down the operating system, upload and execute malicious files, hijack input from mouse, camera, and/or keyboard, disable security tools, mess with the Windows Registry, and, of course, exploit infected systems to perform mass DDoS (Distributed-Denial-of-Service) attacks. Basically, BlackWorm RAT is capable of anything and everything, and if someone knowledgeable and smart employs it, they could do some serious damage. Using this threat, attackers could easily track your activity, steal highly sensitive data, drop malicious files to aid with the attack, and do other kinds of things that you definitely want to avoid. Hopefully, you do not get to face this infection, but, just in case, prepare to delete it.

How to remove BlackWorm RAT

Since the malicious BlackWorm RAT is set to install itself to %Temp% by default, the removal guide below shows how to access this directory and delete everything inside it. These files are not sensitive, and they are merely files that contain some information while the original file is being created. Due to this, removing them is not dangerous at all. In fact, if you have not cleaned out this directory in the past, you might end up making a lot of space by getting rid of junk. Of course, it is unlikely that it will be that easy to delete BlackWorm RAT. This infection is likely to create and drop files, and their locations and names cannot be predicted. Due to this, employing automatic anti-malware software is strongly advised. Another reason to do it – and this might be even more important – is to have your operating system secured reliably, as only complete, full-time protection will ensure that RATs like this one do not invade again.

Removal Guide

1. Launch Windows Explorer by tapping keys Win and E on the keyboard at the same time.
2. Type %Temp% into the quick access field at the top and tap Enter on the keyboard.
3. Tap Ctrl and A keys to select all items and then tap Delete.
4. Empty Recycle Bin to ensure that the infection is gone.
5. Scan the system using a trusted malware scanner to check for hidden malware components.
6. If threats are found, erase them immediately. Download Removal Tool100% FREE spyware scan and
   tested removal of BlackWorm RAT*