Analysis by: Jeffrey Bernardino
 PLATFORM:

Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003

 OVERALL RISK RATING:
 DAMAGE POTENTIAL:
 DISTRIBUTION POTENTIAL:
 REPORTED INFECTION:

  • Threat Type: Trojan

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: No

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

This Trojan may be dropped by other malware.

It connects to certain URLs. It may do this to remotely inform a malicious user of its installation. It may also do this to download possibly malicious files onto the computer, which puts the computer at a greater risk of infection by other threats. As of this writing, the said sites are inaccessible.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 33,280 bytes
File Type: PE
Memory Resident: Yes
Initial Samples Received Date: 19 Jul 2010

Arrival Details

This Trojan may be dropped by the following malware:

Autostart Technique

This Trojan adds the following registry entries to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
JHWKF = "{malware path and file name}"

Download Routine

This Trojan connects to the following malicious URLs:

  • http://{BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.128.71/AWS18384. jsp

As of this writing, the said sites are inaccessible.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine: 8.900

Step 1

For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users, before doing any scans, please make sure you disable System Restore to allow full scanning of your computer.

Step 2

Remove malware files dropped/downloaded by TROJ_SMALL.MLC

Step 3

Identify and terminate files detected as TROJ_SMALL.MLC

[ Learn More ]
  1. 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.
  2. If the detected file is not displayed in either Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer, continue doing the next steps.

Step 4

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
    • JHWKF = {malware path and file name}

Step 5

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as TROJ_SMALL.MLC . 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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