Do you know what GoldBrute is?
GoldBrute is a botnet that can employ unsafe Remote Desktop Protocol configurations to spread across different systems and networks. If your system got infected with this botnet, you can actually remove GoldBrute manually, but not all users would be willing to do so. If you do not feel confident about your computer skills, you can always invest in a licensed security tool that will help you terminate the infection once and for all. What’s more, if this botnet has infected a business computer system, you definitely need to invest more in your IT security section.
So, what is a botnet, and how should we understand and imagine this GoldBrute thing? Well, a botnet is a network of machines (usually computers) that are connected to one system. They use the Internet to connect to one another. Each device that is connected to the botnet is called a bot. So, if your computer has been infected with GoldBrute, your computer is now a bot. Depending on what the attacker wants a botnet to do, these infections can perform a wide range of actions.
Perhaps the most common action of an illegal botnet is the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. For example, the social blogging website LiveJournal has been notorious for experiencing common downtimes because of relentless DDoS attacks. Botnets can also send spam, steal personal data, and allow other malware to access the infected system. What’s more, most of that can happen behind the user’s back because botnets and Trojans do not inform anyone about their presence. So, unless the user notices that there are some irregularities about their machine, GoldBrute and other similar infections can thrive on the infected system for a very long time.
As far as GoldBrute itself is concerned, it has certain individual features that allows us to create a more detailed profile. The infection itself is written in the Java programming language. As mentioned, it uses compromised RDP connections to reach its victims. The infection takes place when the victim downloads a Java Runtime alone with the infection’s JAR file called bitcoin.dll. Since the main infection filename has the DLL extension, users may not think twice about it. After all, if it looks like the dynamic link library file, it should be one, right? This is where this seemingly innocent negligence bites you back, so to speak.
It would actually be a good idea to scan all the downloaded files with a security tool prior to opening them. If you launch new files received from unknown senders without any second thought, it is easy to get infected with GoldBrute or a ransomware program, for example. So, it means that it is possible to avoid getting infected with this botnet, but you just need to be responsible about the files you open and the content you download.
What happens when GoldBrute gets installed on the target system? This botnet works like most of the other infections of the category out there. When it starts running on your computer, the infection connects to the Internet and gets a list of all the other RDPs your machine is connected to. Then, the botnet uses brute force to access the other RDPs to spread further. GoldBrute manages to do that by receiving host, username, and possible password combinations for those other networks from its control and command server.
If GoldBrute manages to guess the authorization credentials correctly, it accesses yet another RDP network, and infects more computers. This shows how important it is to create strong and unique passwords for networks and various accounts. Unfortunately, 12345 and password are probably still the most common password examples worldwide. And you can bet that for something like GoldBrute, guessing such generic passwords is nothing but a stroll in the park.
To stop this infection from spreading further and to protect your personal data, you have to remove GoldBrute today. It might take a while to locate the malicious files manually, so you can just delete the infection with a licensed antispyware tool.
For a time being, you should also consider disabling your RDP connection, before you make sure that the configuration is safe. Don’t forget to change your RDP password into something strong!
How to Remove GoldBrute
- Press Win+R and the Run prompt will open.
- Type %TEMP% into the Open box and click OK.
- Delete the bitcoin.dll file if present.
- Use search tools to locate the same file elsewhere on your PC.
- Delete the same file if found.
- Run a full system scan with SpyHunter.
In non-techie terms:
GoldBrute is a dangerous computer infection that turns your machine into a zombie. It might remain on your computer for a while before you notice that something is wrong. Therefore, you should run regular system scans with a powerful security tool, just to make sure that your system is safe. Remove GoldBrute from your computer today. You can do it with a powerful antispyware tool. If you have more questions about this infection or computer security in general, do not hesitate to leave us a comment.