WORM_AUTORUN.ZZR

This worm arrives as an attachment to email messages spammed by other malware/grayware or malicious users. It arrives by connecting affected removable drives to a system. It arrives via removable drives.

It drops copies of itself into all the removable drives connected to an affected 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 executes the dropped file(s). As a result, malicious routines of the dropped files are exhibited on the affected system.

Arrival Details

This worm arrives as an attachment to email messages spammed by other malware/grayware or malicious users.

It arrives by connecting affected removable drives to a system.

It arrives via removable drives.

Installation

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

• %System%\NvTaskbarInit.exe

(Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, which is usually C:\Windows\System on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\System32 on Windows NT and 2000, or C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP and Server 2003.)

It drops the following component file(s):

• %System%\NvMcTray.exe - detected as TROJ_HILOTI.IB

(Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, which is usually C:\Windows\System on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\System32 on Windows NT and 2000, or C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP and Server 2003.)

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
Nvidia Control Center = %System%\NvTaskbarInit.exe

Other System Modifications

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Nvideo
@ =  

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Nvideo
@ =  

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\
system
EnableLUA = 0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\
List
%System%\\NvTaskbarInit.exe = %System%\NvTaskbarInit.exe:*:Enabled:Explorer

Propagation

This worm creates the following folders in all removable drives:

• RECYCLER:\S-1-6-21-2434476521-1645641927-702000330-1542

It drops copies of itself into all the removable drives connected to an affected system.

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

• RECYCLER:\S-1-6-21-2434476521-1645641927-702000330-1542\redmond.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:

[autorun]
open=RECYCLER:\S-1-6-21-2434476521-1645641927-702000330-1542\redmond.exe
icon=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,4
action=Open folder to view files
shell\open=Open
shell\open\command=RECYCLER:\S-1-6-21-2434476521-1645641927-702000330-1542\redmond.exe
shell\open\default=1

Dropping Routine

This worm executes the dropped file(s). As a result, malicious routines of the dropped files are exhibited on the affected system.