TSPY_ZBOT.YVAHA

 Modified by: Vincent Martin Hermosura

 ALIASES:

Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zbot.towm (Kaspersky), PWS:Win32/Zbot (Microsoft), PWSZbot-FAAR!45D47553ACD4 (Mcafee), Troj/Inject-AZT (Sophos), Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT (Sunbelt), Gen:Variant.Jaik.2554 (Bitdefender), a variant of Win32/Injector.BIIH trojan (Esset)

 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:

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW


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 modifies Internet Explorer security settings. This puts the affected computer at greater risk, as it allows malicious URLs to be accessed by the computer.

It connects to certain websites to send and receive information.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

946,357 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

06 Aug 2014

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:

  • %Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{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 drops the following files:

  • %System Root%\debug.txt
  • %Application Data%\{random folder 1}\{random file name}.{random extension}
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab~

(Note: %System Root% is the root folder, which is usually C:\. It is also where the operating system is located.. %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%\{random folder 1}
  • %Application Data%\{random folder 2}
  • %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book

(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.)

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} = "%Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{random file name}.exe"

Other System Modifications

This spyware adds the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random key}

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Internet Explorer\Privacy

It adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random key}
{random} = "{random}"

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
FirstRun = "1"

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Internet Explorer\Privacy
CleanCookies = "0"

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"

Web Browser Home Page and Search Page Modification

This spyware modifies Internet Explorer zone settings.

Other Details

This spyware connects to the following website to send and receive information:

  • http://{BLOCKED}d.in/yu/nelson/server/gate.php