Emcodec
windows platform based trojan
Trojan.Emcodec.E is a trojan horse that is mis-represented as an audio and video codec for Windows-based PCs. It exists in various variants with names such as Media Codec, Ecodec, Imediacodec, IntCodec, Pcodec, SVideocodec, Video iCodec, QualityCodec, Vcodec, Zip Codec, zCodec, ZCODEC and began to be widely used in spring 2005.
When visiting certain web sites, in particular pornographic sites, and attempting to view a video file on the site, the user will be directed to download this software, purportedly in order to allow viewing of the video. Furthermore, a number of websites have been set up to mis-represent this malware as a legitimate codec, inviting the users to download the software, allegedly to allow for the playback of certain audio/video which claims to use the so-called codec.
Once executed, the trojan copies a program into the Program Files folder, changes some registry keys and displays a fake EULA for the supposed codec.
zCodec reportedly changes the machine's DNS settings, monitors the user's browsing and acts as adware.
Some versions of the trojan install malware called Zlob, which in turn may lead to the installation of malicious and fake "security programs" such as SpywareQuake, SpyFalcon, WinFixer or other malware; some variants also install a backdoor into the infected computer.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Emcodec” as windows platform based trojan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as windows platform based trojan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5370288. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2005.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Emcodec” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.