A new variant of the StartPage Trojan spreads via Internet Explorer vulnerabilities and emails carrying ".zip" and ".exe" files. Security Experts at the leading AntiVirus and Content Security firm MicroWorld Technologies, inform that 'BAT.StartPage.b' changes Internet Explorer settings, lowers security levels and installs itself in the registry.

"StartPage Trojan had been one of the most annoying and hard to remove Trojans right from its first variant," says Aneesh Paliwal, Security Analyst, MicroWorld Technologies. "Like some of its earlier versions, 'StartPage.b' too changes browser favorites and adds many pornographic sites to it. Many times while trying to access Google or Yahoo, the Trojan redirects you to these websites and other vexing ones."

Most spin-offs of this Trojans are Java applets, VBScripts or JavaScripts or Windows Registry export/import files in REG format. Though these Trojans are detected by many AntiVirus Software, most of them fail to remove the malware completely. In those cases it's observed that, after a cleaning process the Trojan sprouts back in action with new names and process IDs.

What’s peculiar about the new variant StartPage.b is that it registers itself as Internet Explorer components and modifies browser actions. This means the Trojan can also work as browser helpers and subsequently mislead you to malicious websites.

"Trojans are the most dangerous form of malware that the world is fighting today. You have hundreds of Trojan families with countless members in each, with intermingling behaviors and upgrading capabilities. Many of them use a small rootkit component to hide themselves from the reach of security software too. We at MicroWorld swear by our Proactive Protection in Real-Time, so these sneaky breeds never find an entry in your computer in the first place," says Govind Rammurthy, CEO, MicroWorld Technologies.

AntiVirus And Content Security products eScan and MailScan from MicroWorld are the world's most advanced solutions with their fastest detection rate and unique, patent pending MWL technology. These solutions block all kinds of script Viruses, Active X driven malware and vulnerability exploits to protect you from Trojans like StartPage varieties. With their proven efficiency in proactive defense, MicroWorld brings in Futuristic Security for enterprises as well as home users.

To protect the internal network of organizations against attacks via the Internet, MicroWorld has developed a revolutionary firewall branded as eConceal, offering great usability and advanced stealth mode. To be launched in June 2006, eConceal provides customizable security with user-defined Rules for Packet Filtering and Access Control.

MicroWorld

MicroWorld (www.mwti.net) is the developer of the world's first Real-Time AntiVirus and Content Security software eScan for desktops and servers. Its communication security software, MailScan is the first comprehensive e-mail scanner for your SMTP/POP3 Mail Server. MicroWorld Winsock Layer (MWL) is the revolutionary technology underlying these products, powering them to several certifications and awards by some of the most prestigious testing bodies, notable among them being Virus Bulletin, Checkmark, TUCOWS, Red Hat Ready, and Novell Ready. Combining their powerful scanner with MWL technology, MicroWorld solutions provide a Real-Time Proactive security for your systems. For network security of enterprises, eConceal Firewall is the latest powerful offering from MicroWorld.

To learn more, kindly visit http://www.mwti.net.