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Trojan.Win32.SMOKELOADER.E

February 24, 2025
 ALIASES:

Trojan:Win32/Glupteba.PB!MTB (MICROSOFT)

 PLATFORM:

Windows

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

  • Threat Type: Trojan

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted:

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel:

Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware

This Trojan arrives on a system as a file dropped by other malware or as a file downloaded unknowingly by users when visiting malicious sites.

It connects to certain websites to send and receive information.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

252,928 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

29 Jan 2025

Payload:

Connects to URLs/IPs, Deletes files, Terminates processes

Arrival Details

This Trojan arrives on a system as a file dropped by other malware or as a file downloaded unknowingly by users when visiting malicious sites.

Installation

This Trojan adds the following mutexes to ensure that only one of its copies runs at any one time:

  • {40 character ID based from Computer Name}FF

It injects codes into the following process(es):

  • explorer.exe

Other System Modifications

This Trojan deletes the following files:

  • %Application Data%\{Filename 1 Generated from Computer Name ID}:Zone.Identifier

(Note: %Application Data% is the current user's Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

Process Termination

This Trojan terminates the following processes if found running in the affected system's memory:

  • Autoruns.exe
  • procexp.exe
  • procexp64.exe
  • procmon.exe
  • procmon64.exe
  • Tcpview.exe
  • Wireshark.exe
  • ProcessHacker.exe
  • ollydbg.exe
  • x32dbg.exe
  • x64dbg.exe
  • idaq.exe
  • idaw.exe
  • idaq64.exe
  • idaw64.exe

Other Details

This Trojan connects to the following website to send and receive information:

  • http://{BLOCKED}u.at/tmp/
  • http://{BLOCKED}h.com/tmp/
  • http://{BLOCKED}usteedrx.ru/tmp/
  • http://{BLOCKED}rate.ru/tmp/

It does the following:

  • It executes itself with a higher permission level if it detects that it does not have admin access.
  • It only executes malicious code when the operating system is Windows Vista or above.
  • It terminates if the following DLL files indicating virtual machines or sandboxing are found
    • sbiedll (Sandboxie DLL)
    • aswhook (Avast DLL)
    • snxhk (Avast DLL)
  • It terminates if the following EXE files indicating virtual machines or analysis are found
    • qemu-ga.exe
    • qga.exe
    • windanr.exe
    • vboxservice.exe
    • vboxtray.exe
    • vmtoolsd.exe
    • prl_tools.exe
  • It checks for the registry keys
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\SCSI
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\IDE
      • And it terminates if it detects the presence of the following substrings within the subkeys of the aforementioned registry entries, indicating virtual machines or sandboxing
        • qemu
        • virtio
        • vmware
        • vbox
        • xen
  • It terminates if the following kernel modules indicating virtual machines or sandboxing are found
    • vmci.s
    • vmusbm
    • vmmous
    • vm3dmp
    • vmrawd
    • vmmemc
    • vboxgu
    • vboxsf
    • vboxmo
    • vboxvi
    • vboxdi
    • vioser
  • It terminates processes with the following Windows Class name:
    • Autoruns
    • PROCEXPL
    • PROCMON_WINDOW_CLASS
    • TcpViewClass
    • ProcessHacker
    • OllyDBG
      • The Windows Class names are checked via the following hashes
        • 0x709EE548h
        • 0x5CA3CF7Fh
        • 0x84B10DE6h
        • 0x7385FFE0h
        • 0x6EA02835h
        • 0xAF83DB01h
        • 0x7B561310h
        • 0x7384D069h

It adds the following scheduled tasks:

  • Name: Firefox Default Browser Agent {part of Computer Name ID}
    • Trigger: One Time (At 12am - 11/30/1999) - After triggered, repeat every 10 minutes indefinitely.
    • Actions: Start a program - %Application Data%\{Filename 1 Generated from Computer Name ID}

(Note: %Application Data% is the current user's Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.800

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

19.914.05

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

20 Feb 2025

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

19.915.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

21 Feb 2025

Step 1

Trend Micro Predictive Machine Learning detects and blocks malware at the first sign of its existence, before it executes on your system. When enabled, your Trend Micro product detects this malware under the following machine learning name:

     
    • Ransom.Win32.TRX.XXPE50FFF090

Step 2

Before doing any scans, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 users must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of their computers.

Step 3

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 4

Restart in Safe Mode

[ Learn More ]

Step 5

Deleting Scheduled Tasks while in Safe Mode

  1. Still in safe mode, the following {Task Name}-{Task to be run} listed should be used in the steps identified below:
    • Task Name: Firefox Default Browser Agent {Part of Computer Name ID}
    • Task to be run: Start a program - %Application Data%\{Filename 1 Generated from Computer Name ID}
  2. For Windows 7 and Server 2008 (R2) users, click Start>Computer.
    • For Windows 8, 8.1, 10, and Server 2012 users, right-click on the lower left corner of the screen, then click File Explorer.
  3. In the Search Computer/This PC input box, type:
    • %System%\Tasks\{Task Name}
  4. Once located, select the file then press SHIFT+DELETE to delete it.
  5. Open Registry Editor. To do this:
    • For Windows 7 and Server 2008 (R2) users, click the Start button, type regedit in the Search input field, and press Enter.
    • For Windows 8, 8.1, 10, and Server 2012 (R2) users, right-click on the lower left corner of the screen, click Run, type regedit in the text box
  6. In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>CurrentVersion>Schedule>TaskCache>Tree>{Task Name}
  7. Locate the created entry and take note of the registry value's data:
    • ID={Task Data}
  8. After taking note of the data, delete the registry key:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>CurrentVersion>Schedule>TaskCache>Tree>{Task Name}
  9. In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>CurrentVersion>Schedule>TaskCache>Tasks
  10. Still in the left panel, locate and delete the registry key with the same name as the located Task Data in step #6:
    • ={Task Data}
  11. Close Registry Editor.

Step 6

Search and delete these files

[ Learn More ]
There may be some files that are hidden. Please make sure you check the Search Hidden Files and Folders checkbox in the "More advanced options" option to include all hidden files and folders in the search result.
  • %Application Data%\{Filename 1 Generated from Computer Name ID}
  • %Application Data%\{Filename 2 Generated from Computer Name ID}

Step 7

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as Trojan.Win32.SMOKELOADER.E. 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.

Step 8

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as Trojan.Win32.SMOKELOADER.E. 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 the following Trend Micro Support pages for more information:


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