Analysis by: Alvin Bacani
ALIASES:

Backdoor:Win32/Dokstormac.A (Microsoft)

 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: Backdoor

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

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

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 1,357,238 bytes
File Type: EXE
Memory Resident: Yes
Initial Samples Received Date: 20 Nov 2013

Arrival Details

This backdoor 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 backdoor drops the following copies of itself into the affected system and executes them:

  • %Application Data%\metax\metax.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 non-malicious file:

  • %Application Data%\metax\logs\{Date of Execution}.arl

(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%\metax
  • %Application Data%\metax\logs

(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 backdoor adds the following registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
metax = "%Application Data%\metax\metax.exe"

Other System Modifications

This backdoor adds the following registry entries as part of its installation routine:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\metax
ID = {random values}

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\metax
INDT = "{Date}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft
ARF1 = "{Random Values}"

Other Details

This backdoor connects to the following possibly malicious URL:

  • {BLOCKED}mia1970.{BLOCKED}p.org
  • www.{BLOCKED}1.com/plg5/pws.iwe