HackTool:Win32/Keygen is the detection for a tool that generates keys for various software products.

On computers where HackTool:Win32/Keygen is detected, it is common to find other instances of additional malware.

There are no obvious symptoms that indicate the presence of HackTool:Win32/Keygen on your computer.

Alert notifications or detections of this tool from installed antivirus or security software may be the only other symptoms.

HackTool:Win32/Keygen is the detection name for a tool that generates keys for various software products.

Because HackTool:Win32/Keygen is often distributed the same way as malware, you may be at risk of further infection. Note that a common social engineering tactic used by malware is to masquerade as Keygens, in an attempt to trick you into downloading and running the malware.

We have observed malware present on more than half the computers where we detect HackTool:Win32/Keygen; you can read more about this in the Volume 13 of the Security Intelligence Report.

Below are some threat families that are often detected on computers with Win32/Keygen:

• Blacole exploit kit
• Win32/Autorun
• Win32/Dorkbot
• Win32/Obfuscator

Win32/Keygens may have any number of interfaces, depending on the keys or serial numbers they are generating. Below is one example of a serial number generator for Adobe Photoshop CS3:

To detect and remove this tool and malicious software that may be installed on your computer, run a full-system scan with an appropriate, up-to-date, security solution. The following Microsoft products detect and remove this threat: