Brace yourself for a break-down of one of the more dangerous PC parasites available on the World Wide Web, namely: Trojan.Proxy.Koobface.

This malicious application, Trojan.Proxy.Koobface, also referred to as: Win32/Koobface, or Worm.Koobface, is a form of malicious software, a worm to be exact, which may tend to perform all sorts of dubious actions on an infiltrated system, so as to compromise the victims’ privacy and cause major disruptions to the system in question.

Technically speaking, Trojan.Proxy.Koobface is regarded by experts as a computer worm variant that tends to replicate itself through PC networks and contaminates all their poorly protected nodes.

Once embedded within a computer system, Trojan.Proxy.Koobface will integrate itself in the compromised system and in doing so may result in some of the processes being compromised.

Some of the corrupt activities Trojan.Proxy.Koobface may perform are as follows:

• Trojan.Proxy.Koobface may steal personal data (including financial credentials like credit card details),
• Trojan.Proxy.Koobface may trigger misleading alerts
• Trojan.Proxy.Koobface may issue fake scanners
• Trojan.Proxy.Koobface may send weird messages to Facebook or MySpace contacts

To recap, Trojan.Proxy.Koobface is a computer worm that was ultimately designed to gather sensitive information from the victim’s computer system, such as credit card numbers, personal identity information, etc.

This dubious infection tends to targets the users of social networking websites, for example: Facebook and MySpace. Trojan.Proxy.Koobface spreads by delivering Facebook messages to people that are 'friends' of the infected user.

The messages contain innocuous subject headers the likes of: "Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf on the Street", "LOL", and "My friend catched [sic] you on hidden cam".

Upon receipt, the message will redirect the recipients to a third-party website, unaffiliated with the social networking website, where they are then prompted to download what is purported to be an update of the Adobe Flash player.

Should the unsuspecting user choose to download the file, they will in effect only be ensuring the infiltration and ultimate infection of their computer with Trojan.Proxy.Koobface.

Once integrated within a computer system, Trojan.Proxy.Koobface then commandeers their surfing activities and directs users to contaminated websites (all of which are obviously in close association with Trojan.Proxy.Koobface) when they attempt to access search engines from Google, Yahoo, MSN and Live.com.

Trojan.Proxy.Koobface works by adding links to social networking profiles, while posing as a video codec. Once a user clicks a link and installs the “video codec,” they are actually downloading Trojan.Proxy.Koobface.

Trojan.Proxy.Koobface launches and searches your PC for social networking site cookies, and uses these cookies to modify your profiles with Koobface links.

Have you noticed?

* Slow computer performance: It just takes one parasite like Trojan.Proxy.Koobface to slow your computer dramatically. If your PC takes longer than usual to reboot, or if your Internet connection is unusually slow, you may be infected with Trojan.Proxy.Koobface

* New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like Trojan.Proxy.Koobface may change your Internet settings to redirect your homepage to another site. Badware can even add desktop shortcuts to your PC.

* Annoying pop-ups: Badware can bombard your computer with popup ads, even when you’re not online. Through these pop-ups, you may be tricked into downloading more spyware.

Should you be experiencing these key symptoms? You may be infected with the Trojan.Proxy.Koobface, and removal should be implemented ASAP!

You may find that a manual removal is the best way to rid a PC system of this thereat, however one needs to be sure they know their way around the registry files of a computer system, before attempting a manual removal process.

In order to manually remove this parasite, you should follow the following steps:

• Kill processes:
fbtre6.exe mstre6.exe

• Delete the following registry values:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run\"systray" = "c:\windows\mstre6.exe"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run\"systray" = "C:\Windows\fbtre6.exe"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\Explorer\Navigating

• Delete the following files:
C:\\Windows\\fbtre6.exe C:\\Windows\\fmark2.dat

Should you feel you are not tech savvy enough to manually remove this parasite, the best way to ensure your system is safe, and in order to avoid any unneeded risks of damage to your computer system, is to make use of a reliable and legitimate anti-spyware application, to remove Trojan.Proxy.Koobface and all its components from the infected computer system.