TROJ_CROWTI.L

July 15, 2014
 ALIASES:

Ransom:Win32/Crowti.A (Microsoft); RDN/Suspicious.bfr!bg (McAfee); Trojan.Gen.SMH (Symantec); Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Blocker.ewnt (Kaspersky); Mal/Ransom-CV (Sophos); Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT (Sunbelt); Trojan horse Crypt3.AAID (AVG)

 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:

  • Threat Type: Trojan

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted:

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

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 deletes itself after execution.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

193,536 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

15 Jul 2014

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.

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
c7ee04 = "%System Root%\c7ee041\c7ee041.exe"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
c7ee041 = "%User Profile%\Application Data\c7ee041.exe"

Other System Modifications

This Trojan modifies the following file(s):

  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls
  • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt
  • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2
  • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc
  • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd

(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.. %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 deletes the following files:

  • %System Root%\c7ee041

(Note: %System Root% is the root folder, which is usually C:\. It is also where the operating system is located.)

It adds the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST

It adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
1 = "{random values}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
2 = "{random characters}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
3 = "{random characters}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
4 = "{random characters}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2 = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc = "68adfd"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\
CRYPTLIST
%User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd = "68adfd"

It modifies the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore
DisableSR = "1"

Dropping Routine

This Trojan drops the following files:

  • %System Root%\c7ee041\c7ee041.exe
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\c7ee041.exe
  • %User Startup%\c7ee041.exe
  • A:\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • A:\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • A:\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak.r8z
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt.wh5
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD.9o5
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Local Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Local Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Local Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls.2n1
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls.ti5
  • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt.so7
  • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2.u44
  • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav.0n4
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc.e7z
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc.jn8
  • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd.n49
  • %User Profile%\Templates\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Templates\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Templates\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak.24l
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt.p8z
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD.a3b
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls.2xn
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls.k4x
  • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt.qp9
  • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2.5il
  • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav.gl8
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc.z6u
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc.h4w
  • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd.l1g
  • %System Root%\Documents and Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %System Root%\Documents and Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %System Root%\Documents and Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %System Root%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %System Root%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %System Root%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Desktop%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Desktop%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Desktop%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Startup%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Startup%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Startup%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL

(Note: %System Root% is the root folder, which is usually C:\. It is also where the operating system is located.. %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.. %User Startup% is the current user's Startup folder, which is usually C:\Windows\Profiles\{user name}\Start Menu\Programs\Startup on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\Profiles\{user name}\Start Menu\Programs\Startup on Windows NT, and C:\Documents and Settings\{User name}\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.. %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.. %Desktop% is the current user's desktop, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{User Name}\Desktop on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\Desktop on Windows Vista and 7.)

Other Details

This Trojan connects to the following possibly malicious URL:

  • http://{BLOCKED}utsnil.com
  • {BLOCKED}7.225.232
  • {BLOCKED}0.1
  • {BLOCKED}2.204.232

It deletes itself after execution.

This report is generated via an automated analysis system.

  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

Restart in Safe Mode

[ Learn More ]

Step 3

Delete this registry key

[ 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
    • C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
    • CRYPTLIST

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
    • c7ee04 = "%System Root%\c7ee041\c7ee041.exe"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • c7ee041 = "%User Profile%\Application Data\c7ee041.exe"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
    • 1 = "{random values}"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
    • 2 = "{random characters}"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
    • 3 = "{random characters}"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE
    • 4 = "{random characters}"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2 = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc = "68adfd"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\C7EE041C116400B9373A9E12678D0EFE\CRYPTLIST
    • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd = "68adfd"

Step 5

Restore these modified registry values

[ 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_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore
    • DisableSR = "1"

Step 6

Search and delete these components

[ Learn More ]
There may be some components 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.
  • %System Root%\c7ee041\c7ee041.exe
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\c7ee041.exe
  • %User Startup%\c7ee041.exe
  • A:\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • A:\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • A:\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak.r8z
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt.wh5
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD.9o5
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Application Data%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Application Data%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Application Data%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Local Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Local Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Local Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls.2n1
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls.ti5
  • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt.so7
  • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2.u44
  • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav.0n4
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc.e7z
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc.jn8
  • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd.n49
  • %User Profile%\Templates\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\Templates\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\Templates\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Profile%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Profile%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.bak.24l
  • %User Profile%\Internet Explorer\brndlog.txt.p8z
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD.a3b
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls.2xn
  • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls.k4x
  • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt.qp9
  • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2.5il
  • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav.gl8
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc.z6u
  • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc.h4w
  • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd.l1g
  • %System Root%\Documents and Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %System Root%\Documents and Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %System Root%\Documents and Settings\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %System Root%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %System Root%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %System Root%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %Desktop%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %Desktop%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %Desktop%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL
  • %User Startup%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.TXT
  • %User Startup%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.HTML
  • %User Startup%\DECRYPT_INSTRUCTION.URL

Step 7

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as TROJ_CROWTI.L. 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

Restore deleted/modified files and/or registry entries from backup

*Note: Only Microsoft-related files/keys/values will be restored. If this malware/grayware also deleted registry keys/values related to programs that are not from Microsoft, please reinstall those programs on your computer.

    • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Windows Media\9.0\WMSDKNS.DTD
    • %User Profile%\Templates\excel.xls
    • %User Profile%\Templates\excel4.xls
    • %User Profile%\Templates\powerpnt.ppt
    • %User Profile%\Templates\quattro.wb2
    • %User Profile%\Templates\sndrec.wav
    • %User Profile%\Templates\winword.doc
    • %User Profile%\Templates\winword2.doc
    • %User Profile%\Templates\wordpfct.wpd

Step 9

Restore this file from backup only Microsoft-related files will be restored. If this malware/grayware also deleted files related to programs that are not from Microsoft, please reinstall those programs on you computer again.

  • %System Root%\c7ee041


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