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TSPY_PWSTEAL.J

February 06, 2013
 Modified by: Abraham Latimer Camba
 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:
 REPORTED INFECTION:
 SYSTEM IMPACT RATING:
 INFORMATION EXPOSURE:

  • Threat Type: Spyware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: No

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel:

Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware, Propagates via removable drives


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 logs a user's keystrokes to steal information.

It sends gathered information to a predetermined email address using its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

1,536,001 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

28 Nov 2012

Payload:

Connects to URLs/IPs, Compromises system security, Logs keystrokes

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 copies of itself into the affected system and executes them:

  • %User Profile%\Application Data\Svchost.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 files:

  • %User Profile%\Application Data\FixekEMChcdbgRK.txt - debug file
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\{random string}.jpeg - screen capture image

(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.)

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
{malware filename}.exe = "{malware path and filename}.exe"

Information Theft

This spyware attempts to steal stored account information used in the following installed File Transfer Protocol (FTP) clients or file manager software:

  • CoreFTP
  • Filezilla
  • FlashFXP
  • FtpCommander
  • IMVU
  • MSN
  • No Ip
  • SmartFTP

It attempts to get stored information such as user names, passwords, and hostnames from the following browsers:

  • Internet Explorer 7
  • Internet Explorer 8
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome

It logs a user's keystrokes to steal information.

Stolen Information

This spyware sends gathered information to a predetermined email address using its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine.

Other Details

Based on analysis of the codes, it has the following capabilities:

  • Disable User Account Control (UAC)
  • Drop the following copy of itself to all removable drives:
    • PartyPics-3-26.exe
  • Capture screen shots
  • Get Windows product key

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.300

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

9.554.01

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

28 Nov 2012

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

9.555.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

29 Nov 2012

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 TSPY_PWSTEAL.J

[ 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

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
    • {malware filename}.exe = "{malware path and filename}.exe"

Step 4

Search and delete these files

[ 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.
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\FixekEMChcdbgRK.txt
  • %User Profile%\Application Data\{random string}.jpeg

Step 5

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as TSPY_PWSTEAL.J. 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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