TROJ_NECURS.VOI

October 04, 2014
 Modified by: RonJay Kristoffer Caragay
 ALIASES:

Trojan:Win32/Necurs (Microsoft); Trojan-Dropper.Win32.Necurs.wpq (Kaspersky); Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Necurs (Ikarus); Backdoor.Necurs (Symantec); TR/Necurs.A.741 (Avira); Dropper/Win32.Necurs (AhnLab-V3)

 PLATFORM:

Windows

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

  • 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:

86,528 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

No

Initial Samples Received Date:

18 Sep 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.

Installation

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

  • %Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}\syshost.exe

(Note: %Windows% is the Windows folder, which is usually C:\Windows.)

It creates the following folders:

  • %Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}

(Note: %Windows% is the Windows folder, which is usually C:\Windows.)

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
syshost32 = "%Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}\syshost.exe"

It registers as a system service to ensure its automatic execution at every system startup by adding the following registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\syshost32
ImagePath = ""%Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}\syshost.exe" /service"

Other Details

This Trojan deletes itself after execution.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.700

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

11.156.06

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

18 Sep 2014

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

11.157.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

18 Sep 2014

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_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • syshost32 = "%Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}\syshost.exe"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\syshost32
    • ImagePath = ""%Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}\syshost.exe" /service"

Step 5

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. Before you could do this, you must restart in Safe Mode. For instructions on how to do this, you may refer to this page If the preceding step requires you to restart in safe mode, you may proceed to edit the system registry.

  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
    • syshost32

Step 6

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as TROJ_NECURS.VOI. 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 7

The following created files/folders/registry keys/registry entries cannot be identified by the user since there are no reference values in the created key. The only way it can be identified is by comparing the present system information with a backup. Note that the said components do not have to be deleted since it won't be harmful to the system.

  • %Windows%\Installer\{random GUID}


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