TSPY_ZBOT.YUNYY

 Analysis by: Jimelle Monteser

 ALIASES:

Trojan-PWS.Win32.Zbot (Ikarus), Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zbot.rhho (Kaspersky), PWS:Win32/Zbot.gen!GO (Microsoft), Win32/Spy.Zbot.AAU trojan (NOD32), Trojan.Zbot (Norton)

 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:
 INFORMATION EXPOSURE:

  • Threat Type: Spyware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel:

Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware


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 does not have any propagation routine.

It does not have any backdoor routine.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

421,888 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

22 Apr 2014

Payload:

Connects to URLs/IPs

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 files:

  • %Application Data%\{random filename}.{random extension}
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.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 drops the following copies of itself into the affected system:

  • %Application Data%\{random folder name}\{random file name}.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 creates the following folders:

  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book
  • %Application Data%\{random folder name}

(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 adds the following mutexes to ensure that only one of its copies runs at any one time:

  • Global\{GUID}
  • Local\{GUID}

It injects threads into the following normal process(es):

  • explorer.exe

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 file name} = "%Application Data%\{random folder name}\{random file name}.exe"

Other System Modifications

This spyware adds the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random}

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name

It adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
OlkContactRefresh = "0"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
OlkFolderRefresh = "0"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name
(Default) = "%Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random}
{random names} = "{random values}"

It creates the following registry entry(ies) to bypass Windows Firewall:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\
List
%Windows%\explorer.exe = "%Windows%\explorer.exe:*:Enabled:Windows Explorer"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\GloballyOpenPorts\
List
{random port 1}:UDP = "{random port 1}:UDP:*:Enabled:UDP {random port 1}"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\GloballyOpenPorts\
List
{random port 2}:TCP = "{random port 2}:TCP:*:Enabled:TCP {random port 2}"

Propagation

This spyware does not have any propagation routine.

Backdoor Routine

This spyware does not have any backdoor routine.

Information Theft

This spyware gathers the following data:

  • Online banking credentials
  • Personal digital cerificates
  • Data on cookie files (URLs)
  • Email-related information such as account names, email addresses, passwords, server data, and server port
  • Email information stored in the user’s Windows Address Book (WAB) file

NOTES:

This spyware collects information when the following strings found in certain applications:

  • bancline
  • bankman
  • cruisenet
  • dirclt32.exe
  • episys
  • fdmaster.exe
  • fidelity
  • gplusmain
  • jack henry
  • launchpadshell.exe
  • micrsolv
  • pcsws.exe
  • prologue.exe
  • silverlake
  • tellerplus
  • v48d0250s1
  • vantiv
  • wtng.exe

It attempts to download its configuration file by connecting to randomly generated URLs. The configuration file may contain URLs where it downloads an updated copy of itself and where it sends its gathered information. It may also contain URLs of its target online banking and finance-related sites from where it steals the information.

It connects to the following URL(s) to download its configuration file:

  • http://{pseudorandom domain name}.info
  • http://{pseudorandom domain name}.com
  • http://{pseudorandom domain name}.biz
  • http://{pseudorandom domain name}.net
  • http://{pseudorandom domain name}.org
  • http://{pseudorandom domain name}.ru

It does not have rootkit capabilities.

It does not exploit any vulnerability.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.700

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

10.844.05

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

06 Jun 2014

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

10.845.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

06 Jun 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

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product and note files detected as TSPY_ZBOT.YUNYY

Step 3

Restart in Safe Mode

[ Learn More ]

Step 4

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\Microsoft
    • WAB

Step 5

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 file name} = "%Application Data%\{random folder name}\{random file name}.exe"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List
    • %Windows%\explorer.exe = "%Windows%\explorer.exe:*:Enabled:Windows Explorer"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\GloballyOpenPorts\List
    • {random port 1}:UDP = "{random port 1}:UDP:*:Enabled:UDP {random port 1}"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\GloballyOpenPorts\List
    • {random port 2}:TCP = "{random port 2}:TCP:*:Enabled:TCP {random port 2}"

Step 6

Search and delete this folder

[ Learn More ]
Please make sure you check the Search Hidden Files and Folders checkbox in the More advanced options option to include all hidden folders in the search result.
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book
  • %Application Data%\{random folder name}

Step 7

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.
  • %Application Data%\{random filename}.{random extension}

Step 8

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as TSPY_ZBOT.YUNYY. 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 9

The following created registry key(s) 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 keys with a backup of the system registry. Note that the said key(s) do not have to be deleted since it won't be harmful to the system:

  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft
    • {random}


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