Plurox

Plurox is an extremely dangerous and stealthy infection that can try to invade Windows operating systems. The main task for this infection is to open a backdoor, using which remote attackers can do many terrible things. According to our research team, three different types of plugins are used by it to fulfill its purpose, and that is what makes it unique among other well-known backdoors. Unfortunately, if this malware is successfully executed on the operating system, it can stay hidden and wreak havoc without the victims’ notice. Although our article focuses on the removal of Plurox, it is important to note that other infections and malware files are likely to be active on the computer along with the backdoor. Therefore, if you discover this infection, you need to inspect your operating system to check for other threats that could be just as malicious and, obviously, must be deleted. If you need more information, keep reading, and do not forget to leave a comment below if you have questions.

There are three unique plugins that Plurox employs to do the dirty work of cyber criminals. All of them are downloaded from a remote C&C server, and only vigilant victims are likely to discover this when analyzing traffic or inspecting the operating system for malware. These three plugins are a miner, UPnP plugin, and SMB plugin. So, let’s start from the beginning: What is a miner? If you have no clue, you must be completely unaware of infections capable of mining crypto-currency. This process might not harm you personally per se, but high levels of CPU power are required for the crypto-currency to be mined successfully, and that means that older, outdated operating systems might start running slower or crash altogether. This might be what gives the infection away. On the other hand, mining could go undetected for some time, and in that time, Plurox could employ the other two plugins to make a mess. If you want to check the levels of your system’s CPU, open the Task Manager (right-click on the Taskbar and choose Start Task Manager), and then click the Performance tab. Anything above 50% deserves inspection.

The second plugin employed by Plurox is the UPnP plugin. It is responsible for checking for local 135 and 445 ports and using exploits to perform attacks on local networks. It is reported that 5 minutes is enough for this plugin to check for existing exploits and services running on the mentioned ports. The SMB plugin is used to employ an EthernalBlue exploit to spread malware across the local network. Needless to say, these two plugins cannot work without one another. Overall, Plurox can download and run malicious files, delete files and services, as well as download and run plugins. These are the main tasks. It looks like the threat is designed to attack larger networks, which means that it is more likely to attack companies, universities, hospitals, governments, etc. That being said, no one can guarantee that solitary Windows users would not be affected at the same time. Nonetheless, if the backdoor is employed successfully, it can cause serious problems that could lead to multiple system shutdowns, theft of sensitive data, and, of course, execution of extremely dangerous malware (e.g., ransomware, keyloggers, or Trojans).

There is a good chance that other infections exist if Plurox is found, and that is something you need to think about when clearing your operating system. Without a doubt, removing every single piece of malware manually can be difficult and maybe even impossible. However, manual removal is not the only option you’ve got, and our research team advises employing anti-malware software. It will inspect your system and delete Plurox along with all other potentially active infections automatically. Afterward, it will continue protecting your operating system to guarantee that new threats cannot invade it again. This is a crucial step, and you should not skip it. If you do not have the opportunity to install reliable security software now, do it as soon as you can. In the meantime, keep the system up-to-date to ensure that all vulnerabilities are patched, and do not open up security backdoors yourself, which is easy to do by downloading files from unreliable sources, clicking on links and ads, or opening spam email attachments.

Plurox Removal

1. Simultaneously tap Win+E keys to access Windows Explorer.
2. Enter %ALLUSERSPROFILE% into the quick access field at the top.
3. Right-click malicious .exe files and Delete them.
4. Enter %APPDATA% into the quick access field at the top.
5. Right-click malware created folders and Delete them.
6. Empty Recycle Bin and then immediately run a thorough system scan using a malware scanner.