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ADW_GETBOOKS

August 21, 2014
 ALIASES:

not-a-virus:HEUR:Adware.Win32.Agent.gen (Kaspersky), Riskware/GetBooks (Fortinet), a variant of Win32/GetBooks.B (ESET)

 PLATFORM:

Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)

 OVERALL RISK RATING:
 DAMAGE POTENTIAL:
 DISTRIBUTION POTENTIAL:
 REPORTED INFECTION:
 INFORMATION EXPOSURE:

  • Threat Type: Adware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

This adware arrives as a component bundled with malware/grayware packages. It may be manually installed by a user.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

980,163 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

No

Initial Samples Received Date:

18 Aug 2014

Payload:

Downloads files, Displays windows

Arrival Details

This adware arrives as a component bundled with malware/grayware packages.

It may be manually installed by a user.

Installation

This adware drops the following copies of itself into the affected system:

  • %AppDataLocal%\GetBooks\GetBooks.exe

(Note: %AppDataLocal% is the Local Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Application Data on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local on Windows Vista and 7.)

It creates the following folders:

  • %AppDataLocal%\GetBooks

(Note: %AppDataLocal% is the Local Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Application Data on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local on Windows Vista and 7.)

Autostart Technique

This adware adds the following registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
GetBooks = ""%AppDataLocal%\GetBooks\GetBooks.exe" 64ce74741661e8e2c8f121f6f977d81e"

Download Routine

This adware accesses the following websites to download files:

  • {BLOCKED}s-book.net/getbook/1468927c1e66802170703565379494271485040
  • http://www.{BLOCKED}n.com/redirects/redir.cgi?type=babylon_toolbar_eula
  • http://www.{BLOCKED}n.com/redirects/download.cgi
  • http://{BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.17.143/download/fdmus1
  • http://{BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.32.135/download/fdmus1

NOTES:

It connects to the following site to report its installation with the following format:

  • http://{BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.42.124/report.php?ver=%s&sub=%s&mid=%s&rep=%s

It displays the following windows if the download link is available:

If the download link is not available, it displays the following window:

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.700

Step 1

Before doing any scans, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 users must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of their computers.

Step 2

Note that not all files, folders, and registry keys and entries are installed on your computer during this malware's/spyware's/grayware's execution. This may be due to incomplete installation or other operating system conditions. If you do not find the same files/folders/registry information, please proceed to the next step.

Step 3

Restart in Safe Mode

[ Learn More ]

Step 4

Delete this registry value

[ Learn More ]

Important: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can lead to irreversible system malfunction. Please do this step only if you know how or you can ask assistance from your system administrator. Else, check this Microsoft article first before modifying your computer's registry.

  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • GetBooks = ""%AppDataLocal%\GetBooks\GetBooks.exe" 64ce74741661e8e2c8f121f6f977d81e"

Step 5

Search and delete this folder

[ Learn More ]
Please make sure you check the Search Hidden Files and Folders checkbox in the More advanced options option to include all hidden folders in the search result.
  • %AppDataLocal%\GetBooks

Step 6

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as ADW_GETBOOKS. If the detected files have already been cleaned, deleted, or quarantined by your Trend Micro product, no further step is required. You may opt to simply delete the quarantined files. Please check this Knowledge Base page for more information.


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