Do you know what Skipper is?
In this article, we discuss a highly dangerous threat that is known by the name of Skipper. The malicious application has both backdoor and Trojan qualities, which is why it is considered to be a backdoor Trojan. Such a threat has no doubt many capabilities and can cause a lot of trouble to users whose computers may get infected with it. Therefore, it is crucial to get rid of Skipper as fast as possible. The removal guide available below this article shows only how to erase a malicious browser extension that might have been used to download the malware. As for the backdoor Trojan itself, we advise deleting it with a reputable antimalware tool capable of dealing with such infections. For more information about the threat, you could read our full article.
One of the first things we should mention about Skipper is that it might be the creation of a group of hackers from Russia that goes by the name of Turla. The group is responsible for creating advanced and persistent malware targeted at governments and military institutions since around 2008. This particular backdoor Trojan was noticed in 2016. It is difficult to say whether it is still active or not, but it is safe to say that it was most active/used between 2016 and 2017. In any case, it was spread and could still be used to attack governments and various organizations. As you see, the hackers behind the malware target companies that could have valuable information, so regular home users are very unlikely to be targeted.
The key to protecting an organization’s computers from threats like Skipper is being prepared for them. It means companies that deal with highly valuable information should take precautions, such as finding their systems’ vulnerabilities and removing them. Also, it is essential to use reputable antimalware tools as well as teach company employees about such threats and how they may get in. It is said that Skipper used to be distributed by a malicious Mozilla Firefox extension. The browser add-on had a couple of names: HTML Encoding and langpack-en-GB. It would seem once added the extension would let hackers install the backdoor Trojan onto a targeted victim’s computer without him realizing it.
Researchers say that downloading Skipper was only a start because once installed, the backdoor Trojan could download another backdoor application to make sure hackers take control over an infected device. Even then, a user may not notice anything as all of the malware’s task ought to be carried out silently without raising suspicion. It looks like the malicious application could have been used to download even more malicious software that might have been necessary to achieve all of the hackers’ goals. It is likely that cybercriminals used the gained accesses of infected systems to record sensitive information. Also, cybersecurity specialists suspect that once the backdoor Trojan and its other downloaded infections gathered all of the targeted information, the hackers would make the malware delete itself without leaving any evidence of their activities.
Naturally, the longer a threat like Skipper and other Turla group’s tools stay on the system, the more sensitive data they may gather. Thus, it is essential to eliminate such threats immediately. The backdoor Trojan is not something one could erase via Control Panel, which is why it is advisable to use reliable antimalware tools that could eliminate the threat quickly and permanently. As for the removal guide available at the end of this paragraph, they only show to remove the extension that might have downloaded Skipper onto a system. Should you have more questions about the malware’s deletion or its working manner, feel free to leave us a message in the comments section that is located below the removal instructions.
Delete the Mozilla Firefox extension associated with Skipper
- Tap CTRL+SHIFT+A simultaneously.
- Choose Extensions.
- Locate an extension called HTML Encoding or langpack-en-GB.
- Select the malicious extension and press Remove.
- Restart your browser.
- Check your system with a reputable antimalware tool.
In non-techie terms:
Skipper is a malicious application that was designed to gain access to targeted machines and sneak onto them more malware. Cybersecurity specialists believe that it is another threat from the Turla cybercriminals since it has many similarities with their created infections and was noticed to be used together. It was most active in 2016 and 2017, and it is thought that it might have been used to attack organizations in order to obtain sensitive information and deploy other malicious applications on infected devices. No doubt, companies who want to avoid such troubles should identify their systems’ weak spots and secure them. Also, such Trojans must be detected and erase fast. The removal guide placed above shows how one could delete plugins associated with Skipper manually. To remove the backdoor infection and all other threats, it might have dropped on a system, we recommend using a reliable antimalware tool.