We're gradually updating threat actor names in our reports to align with the new weather-themed taxonomy. Learn about Microsoft threat actor names
TrojanDownloader:PowerShell/Ploprolo.A
Aliases: No associated aliases
Summary
Microsoft Defender Antivirus detects and removes this threat.
This threat is a detection for a malicious PowerShell script. When executed, it downloads and runs other malware into the system.
The malicious PowerShell scripts is usually embeded into other files such as .LNK, .CHM, .BAT, .PDF, .PPTX and can arrive in your PC as an attachment to a spam email.
We have observed this threat download a variant of Ransom:Win32/Locky and other malware such as Win/Zbot.
The trend towards increasingly sophisticated malware behavior, highlighted by the use of exploits and other attack vectors, makes older platforms so much more susceptible to ransomware attacks. From June to November 2017, Windows 7 devices were 3.4 times more likely to encounter ransomware compared to Windows 10 devices.
Read our latest report: A worthy upgrade: Next-gen security on Windows 10 proves resilient against ransomware outbreaks in 2017.
Use the following free Microsoft software to detect and remove this threat:
- Windows Defender for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, or Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 and Windows Vista
- Microsoft Safety Scanner
You should also run a full scan. A full scan might find hidden malware.
Use cloud protection
The Microsoft Active Protection Service (MAPS) uses cloud protection to help guard against the latest malware threats. It’s turned on by default for Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Defender for Windows 10.
Get more help
You can also see our advanced troubleshooting page for more help.
If you’re using Windows XP, see our Windows XP end of support page.
