Experts at Symantec Security Response have noticed an increase in reports related to Poweliks trojan infections.
The malware differs from others in the way it resides on a compromised machine, opting to hide as a registry subkey in the computer's registry rather than as a file, according to a recent blog post.
The trojan spreads via common channels such as malicious spam emails and exploit kits, and researchers have noticed one particular campaign that spoofs emails related to a missing package claiming to be from the Canadian Post or the U.S. Postal Service.
Once the malware compromises a machine it's able to receive commands from a remote attacker and also has the ability to open users to additional malware downloads, as well as steal system data.