Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

-

Aliases :

GHOST.EXE, GHOST.EXE False Alarm

Summary

In addition to the traditional email chain letter hoaxes, several innocent programs have received lots of publicity lately as they have been accused of being trojans or viruses.

Removal

Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either move the file to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or remove it.

A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:

  • Check for the latest database updates

    First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.

  • Submit a sample

    After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.

    Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.

  • Exclude a file from further scanning

    If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.

    Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.

Technical Details

The first example of these programs was GHOST.EXE. This is a Windows demonstration program which displayed a graveyard and a set of ghosts in a window. On Friday the 13th, the title of the screen was changed to 'Happy Friday the 13th!' and the ghosts started flying around the Windows desktop. This program was analysed and found harmless.