TSPY_ZBOT.VUB

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.

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%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab
• %Application Data%\{random filename}.dat

(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}"

Backdoor Routine

This spyware connects to the following URL(s) to send and receive commands from a remote malicious user:

• {random generated domain}.com
• {random generated domain}.net
• {random generated domain}.org
• {random generated domain}.info
• {random generated domain}.biz
• {random generated domain}.ru

Information Theft

This spyware gathers the following data:

• 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:

It attempts to collects information when the following strings found in certain applications:

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

It attempts to download its configuration file by connecting to random generated domains.

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.