Process Search

empty.pif

Associated Program: Win32/Brontok.GA

Programm Category: Malware/ Virus

What is empty.pif

The file empty.pif is commonly associated with Worm:Win32/Brontok.GA, also known as Rontokbro, which is a computer worm. Brontok is an email worm that uses email addresses collected from the infected system to distribute infected messages that normally arrive as an email attachment. This worm spreads from email and network shares, and usually uses a folder icon for its file to trick the user into thinking it is a normal file. The presence of this malware is indicated by the file \empty.pif, and the presence of the registry data modification %windir%\INF\norBtok.exe. This worm creates a folder with the name format "Bron.tok--, where is the month and is the day of the month. The worm creates a scheduled task to make sure it automatically runs every time Windows starts, and add entries to the system registry so that its copies run every time Windows starts. It uses its own SMTP engine to spread, which is done by sending a copy of itself as attachment to all harvested email addresses from the infected computer.

How can I stop empty.pif and should I?

Most non-system processes that are running can be stopped because they are not involved in running your operating system. empty.pif. is used by Win32/Brontok.GA, If you shut down empty.pif, it will likely start again at a later time either after you restart your computer or after an application start. To stop empty.pif, permanently you need to uninstall the application that runs this process which in this case is Win32/Brontok.GA, from your system.

After uninstalling applications it is a good idea to scan you Windows registry for any left over traces of applications. Registry Reviver by ReviverSoft is a great tool for doing this.

Is this a virus or other security concern?

ReviverSoft Security Verdict

The ReviverSoft experts have not yet reviewed empty.pif

Request that this process be reviewed

What is a process and how do they affect my computer?

A process usually a part of an installed application such as Win32/Brontok.GA, or your operating system that is responsible for running in functions of that application. Some application require that they have processes running all the time so they can do things such as check for updates or notify you when you get an instant message. Some poorly written applications have many processes that run that may not be required and take up valuable processing power within your computer.

Is empty.pif known to be bad for my computer's performance?

We have not received any complaint about this process having higher than normal impact on PC performance. If you have had bad experiences with it please let us know in a comment below and we will investigate it further.

What can I do if empty.pif is causing errors on my computer?

The first thing you should do if empty.pif. is causing errors on your computer is to run a Windows registry scan with Registry Reviver If you are still seeing errors after this you should uninstall the program that empty.pif, belongs to, in this case Win32/Brontok.GA

About Mark Beare

Founder of ReviverSoft and lover of tweaking and maintaining computers. Ask me a question and comment on my posts. I love feedback!

do you have any questions
about empty.pif?

Feel free to ask our experts from around the world and to receive professional answers for it.

ask your question

Other processes tied to this application

No related processes