Adware.Win32.AlimenMain.A

This Adware arrives on a system as a file dropped by other malware or as a file downloaded unknowingly by users when visiting malicious sites.

File Size: 2,378,605 bytes

File Type: EXE

Memory Resident: Yes

Initial Samples Received Date: 15 Apr 2020

Arrival Details

This Adware 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 Adware adds the following processes:

%User Temp%\nsaD0F6.tmp\inst.exe /S /T 14
"%System%\regsvr32.exe" /s "%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension_x64.dll"
%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe /A 00000 /T 14

(Note: %User Temp% is the current user's Temp folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Temp on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).. %Program Files% is the default Program Files folder, usually C:\Program Files in Windows 2000(32-bit), Server 2003(32-bit), XP, Vista(64-bit), 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit) , or C:\Program Files (x86) in Windows XP(64-bit), Vista(64-bit), 7(64-bit), 8(64-bit), 8.1(64-bit), 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

It creates the following folders:

%Program Files%\PepperZip
%User Profile%\AppData
%Start Menu%\Programs\PepperZip
%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip
%System Root%\Users

(Note: %Program Files% is the default Program Files folder, usually C:\Program Files in Windows 2000(32-bit), Server 2003(32-bit), XP, Vista(64-bit), 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit) , or C:\Program Files (x86) in Windows XP(64-bit), Vista(64-bit), 7(64-bit), 8(64-bit), 8.1(64-bit), 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).. %User Profile% is the current user's profile folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name} on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name} on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).. %Start Menu% is the current user's Start Menu folder, which is usually C:\Windows\Start Menu or C:\Documents and Settings\{User name}\Start Menu on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).. %All Users Profile% is the common user's profile folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\All Users on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\ProgramData on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit). . %System Root% is the Windows root folder, where it usually is C:\ on all Windows operating system versions.)

Other System Modifications

This Adware deletes the following files:

%User Temp%\nsaD0F6.tmp

(Note: %User Temp% is the current user's Temp folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Temp on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

It deletes the following folders:

%User Temp%\nsbE0FD.tmp
%User Temp%\nsaD0F6.tmp

(Note: %User Temp% is the current user's Temp folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Temp on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

It adds the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\
PepperZip.exe
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\PepperZip
DisplayName = "PepperZip 1.0"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\PepperZip
UninstallString = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\uninst.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\PepperZip
DisplayIcon = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\PepperZip
DisplayVersion = "1.0"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\PepperZip
URLInfoAbout = "http://www.{BLOCKED}ware.net"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall\PepperZip
Publisher = "PepperWare Co."

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
explorer
GlobalAssocChangedCounter = "12"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\
CLSID\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
(Default) = "PPZShellExtContextMenu Class"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\
CLSID\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}\InprocServer32
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension_x64.dll"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\
CLSID\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}\InprocServer32
ThreadingModel = "Apartment"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\
*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\
{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
(Default) = "PPZShellExtContextMenu"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\
Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\
{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
(Default) = ""

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
.7z
(Default) = "PepperZip"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
PepperZip
(Default) = "PepperZip"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
PepperZip\DefaultIcon
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe,0"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
PepperZip\Shell\open\
command
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe %1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
.zip
(Default) = "PepperZip"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
.rar
(Default) = "PepperZip"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
explorer
GlobalAssocChangedCounter = "13"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
b = "{C3EBBA21-5A32-4B7D-8C48-0185315484A0}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
d = "\xad\xa4\x8b\xa9pa\xe5@"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
a = "00000"

Dropping Routine

This Adware drops the following files:

%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension_x64.dll
%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip\Website.lnk
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip\PepperZip.lnk
%Program Files%\PepperZip\uninst.exe
%Program Files%\PepperZip\pepperzip.dll
%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.url
%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension.dll
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip\Uninstall.lnk
%Desktop%\PepperZip.lnk

(Note: %Program Files% is the default Program Files folder, usually C:\Program Files in Windows 2000(32-bit), Server 2003(32-bit), XP, Vista(64-bit), 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit) , or C:\Program Files (x86) in Windows XP(64-bit), Vista(64-bit), 7(64-bit), 8(64-bit), 8.1(64-bit), 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).. %All Users Profile% is the common user's profile folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\All Users on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\ProgramData on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit). . %Desktop% is the current user's desktop, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{User Name}\Desktop on Windows 2000(32-bit), XP, and Server 2003(32-bit), or C:\Users\{user name}\Desktop on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 2008(64-bit), 2012(64-bit) and 10(64-bit).)

Other Details

This Adware connects to the following possibly malicious URL:

http://installs.{BLOCKED}are.com/{random path}

This report is generated via an automated analysis system.

Minimum Scan Engine: 9.850

Step 1

Before doing any scans, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 users must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of their computers.

Step 2

Identify and terminate files detected as Adware.Win32.AlimenMain.A

[ Learn More ]

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.
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.
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_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\PepperZip.exe
- (Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PepperZip
- DisplayName = "PepperZip 1.0"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PepperZip
- UninstallString = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\uninst.exe"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PepperZip
- DisplayIcon = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PepperZip
- DisplayVersion = "1.0"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PepperZip
- URLInfoAbout = "http://www.{BLOCKED}ware.net"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\PepperZip
- Publisher = "PepperWare Co."

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
- (Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
- GlobalAssocChangedCounter = "12"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
- (Default) = "PPZShellExtContextMenu Class"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}\InprocServer32
- (Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension_x64.dll"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}\InprocServer32
- ThreadingModel = "Apartment"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
- (Default) = "PPZShellExtContextMenu"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
- (Default) = ""

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.7z
- (Default) = "PepperZip"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\PepperZip
- (Default) = "PepperZip"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\PepperZip\DefaultIcon
- (Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe,0"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\PepperZip\Shell\open\command
- (Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe %1"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.zip
- (Default) = "PepperZip"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.rar
- (Default) = "PepperZip"

In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
- GlobalAssocChangedCounter = "13"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
- b = "{C3EBBA21-5A32-4B7D-8C48-0185315484A0}"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
- d = "\xad\xa4\x8b\xa9pa\xe5@"

In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PepperZip
- a = "00000"

To delete the registry value this malware/grayware created:

Open Registry Editor.
» For Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 (R2) users, click the Start button, type regedit in the Search input field then press Enter.
» For Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2012 (R2) users, right-click on the lower-left corner of the screen, click Run, type regedit in the text box provided, and then press Enter.
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>App Paths>PepperZip.exe
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Wow6432Node>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Uninstall>PepperZip
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
DisplayName = "PepperZip 1.0"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
UninstallString = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\uninst.exe"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
DisplayIcon = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
DisplayVersion = "1.0"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
URLInfoAbout = "http://www.{BLOCKED}ware.net"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
Publisher = "PepperWare Co."
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>PepperZip
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Wow6432Node>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>explorer
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
GlobalAssocChangedCounter = "12"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Classes>CLSID>{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "PPZShellExtContextMenu Class"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Classes>CLSID>{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}>InprocServer32
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension_x64.dll"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
ThreadingModel = "Apartment"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Classes>*>shellex>ContextMenuHandlers>{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "PPZShellExtContextMenu"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Classes>Directory>shellex>ContextMenuHandlers>{00000000-BA82-4612-BE43-95B8B482C269}
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = ""
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Classes>.7z
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "PepperZip"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Classes>PepperZip
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "PepperZip"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Classes>PepperZip>DefaultIcon
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe,0"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Classes>PepperZip>Shell>open>command
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe %1"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Classes>.zip
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "PepperZip"
In the left panel, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Classes>.rar
In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
(Default) = "PepperZip"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
GlobalAssocChangedCounter = "13"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
b = "{C3EBBA21-5A32-4B7D-8C48-0185315484A0}"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
d = "\xad\xa4\x8b\xa9pa\xe5@"
Again In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
a = "00000"
Close Registry Editor.

Step 4

Search and delete these components

[ Learn More ]

There may be some components 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.

%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension_x64.dll
%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.exe
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip\Website.lnk
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip\PepperZip.lnk
%Program Files%\PepperZip\uninst.exe
%Program Files%\PepperZip\pepperzip.dll
%Program Files%\PepperZip\PepperZip.url
%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell\PPZShellExtension.dll
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip\Uninstall.lnk
%Desktop%\PepperZip.lnk

Step 5

Search and delete these folders

[ 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.

%Program Files%\PepperZip
%User Profile%\AppData
%Start Menu%\Programs\PepperZip
%Program Files%\PepperZip\shell
%All Users Profile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\PepperZip
%System Root%\Users

Step 6

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as Adware.Win32.AlimenMain.A. 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 the following Trend Micro Support pages for more information:

Step 7

Restore this file from backup only Microsoft-related files will be restored. If this malware/grayware also deleted files related to programs that are not from Microsoft, please reinstall those programs on you computer again.

%User Temp%\nsaD0F6.tmp

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