WORM_CHANGEUP.SM


 ALIASES:

W32.Changeup (Symantec)

 PLATFORM:

Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003

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

  • Threat Type: Worm

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted:

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

This worm arrives by connecting affected removable drives to a system.

It drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.

It connects to certain websites to send and receive information. It modifies certain registry entries to hide Hidden files.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

188,416 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

21 Dec 2011

Arrival Details

This worm arrives by connecting affected removable drives to a system.

Installation

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

  • %User Profile%\{random}.exe

(Note: %User Profile% is the current user's profile folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name} on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name} on Windows Vista and 7.)

It drops the following non-malicious file:

  • {removable drive}:\x.mpeg

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
{random} = %User Profile%\{random}.exe /{parameter}

Propagation

This worm drops the following copy(ies) of itself in all removable drives:

  • Sexy.exe
  • Secret.exe
  • Porn.exe
  • Passwords.exe
  • {random}.exe

It drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.

The said .INF file contains the following strings:

{garbage codes}
[autorun]
icON={random}.exe,0
{garbage codes}
open={random}.eXE
{garbage codes}
Action=20458
{garbage codes}
uSEaUTOpLay=1
{garbage codes}

Other Details

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

  • ns1.{BLOCKED}er1352.com

It modifies the following registry entries to hide Hidden files:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
Advanced
ShowSuperHidden = "0"

(Note: The default value data of the said registry entry is 1.)

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.200

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

Identify and terminate files detected as WORM_CHANGEUP.SM

[ Learn More ]
  1. Windows Task Manager may not display all running processes. In this case, please use a third-party process viewer, preferably Process Explorer, to terminate the malware/grayware/spyware file. You may download the said tool here.
  2. If the detected file is displayed in either Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer but you cannot delete it, restart your computer in safe mode. To do this, refer to this link for the complete steps.
  3. If the detected file is not displayed in either Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer, continue doing the next steps.

Step 3

Search and delete this file

[ 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.
  • {removable drive}:\x.mpeg

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
    • {random} = %User Profile%\{random}.exe /{parameter}

Step 5

Restore this modified registry value

[ Learn More ]

Important: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can lead to irreversible system malfunction. Please do this only if you know how to or you can seek your system administrator’s help. You may also check out this Microsoft article first before modifying your computer's registry.

  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
    • From: ShowSuperHidden = 0
      To: ShowSuperHidden = 1

Step 6

Search and delete AUTORUN.INF files created by WORM_CHANGEUP.SM that contain these strings

[ Learn More ]


{garbage codes}
[autorun]
icON={random}.exe,0
{garbage codes}
open={random}.eXE
{garbage codes}
Action=20458
{garbage codes}
uSEaUTOpLay=1
{garbage codes}

Step 7

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as WORM_CHANGEUP.SM. 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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