TSPY_ZBOT.NJC

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

It lowers the security setting of Internet Explorer.

Arrival Details

This spyware 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 spyware drops the following copies of itself into the affected system and executes them:

• %Application Data%\{random folder 1}\{random filename}.exe

(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, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista and 7.)

It drops the following files:

• %Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{random filename}.{random extension name}
• %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{current user}.wab
• %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{current user}.wab~

(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, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista and 7.)

It creates the following folders:

• %Application Data%\{random folder 1}
• %Application Data%\{random folder 2}

(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, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista and 7.)

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
{random GUID} = ""%Application Data%\{random folder 1}\{random filename}.exe""

Other System Modifications

This spyware adds the following registry entries as part of its installation routine:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random letters}
{random letters} = "{random data}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
FirstRun = "1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name
[Default] = "%Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{current user}.wab"

Web Browser Home Page and Search Page Modification

This spyware lowers the security setting of Internet Explorer.

Other Details

This spyware connects to the following possibly malicious URL:

• {BLOCKED}xmk.com