PRESS RELEASE

Bracknell, April 3rd, 2012

Panda Security – The Cloud Security Company – has released Panda ActiveScan Cleaner, the only tool capable of detecting and removing all variants of the Sirefef Trojan. The Trojan, whose first variant was identified at the beginning of the year, has infected thousands of computers so far. Most infections have taken place in Spain, although there have been cases reported in other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, reaching epidemic proportions. Panda Security offers users Panda ActiveScan Cleaner, a new and powerful free application to detect and remove this malicious program, at: http://activescancleaner.pandasecurity.com

Sirefef, also known as Abnow or Zero Access, reaches the victim’s computer in different ways, including as a fake QuickTime update. It then modifies several system files, redirecting results of online search engines to two malicious websites: abnow.com and mediashifting. Additionally, it downloads more malware onto the computer, including fake antivirus programs. Sirefef is a polymorphic Trojan with rootkit characteristics to remain hidden from antivirus engines. If the Trojan is not completely removed it has potential to re-infect the system. It is therefore advisable to use a tool like Panda ActiveScan Cleaner, which can eliminate the Trojan completely.

“We have detected thousands of Sirefef infections over the last two months”, explained Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs. “The Trojan uses advanced infection techniques and stealth capabilities, and it is particularly difficult to completely disinfect the computer unless you remove all of its components. That’s why we offer Panda Activescan Cleaner, a free tool that harnesses the power of Collective Intelligence to identify all of Sirefef’s components and ensure complete disinfection.”

Panda ActiveScan Cleaner is Panda Security’s new on-demand malware detection and removal tool, capable of disinfecting thousands of malware strains like Sirefef. It leverages the power of Panda Security’s Collective Intelligence, a system that automatically analyzes, classifies and remedies the more than 73,000 new malware specimens received at PandaLabs every day.

“Even though you might not be experiencing the symptoms of a Sirefef infection, it is advisable to scan your computer with Panda ActiveScan Cleaner to make sure there is no malware installed. Prevention is better than cure,” added Corrons.

All users, regardless of their antivirus solution, can download and use Panda ActiveScan Cleaner completely free at: http://activescancleaner.pandasecurity.com

About PandaLabs

Since 1990, PandaLabs, Panda Security’s malware research laboratory, has been working to detect and classify malware in order to protect consumers and companies against new Internet threats. To do so, PandaLabs uses Collective Intelligence, a cloud-based proprietary system that leverages the knowledge gathered from Panda’s user community to automatically detect, analyse and classify the more than 73,000 new malware strains that appear every day. This automated malware classification is complemented through the work of an international team with researchers specialized each in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and other attacks) to provide global coverage. Get more information about PandaLabs and subscribe to its blog news feed at http://www.pandalabs.com.

For more information:

Visit our main website http://www.pandasecurity.com/ or our dedicated press site http://press.pandasecurity.com/.