Analysis by: Jaime Benigno Reyes
ALIASES:

PWS:Win32/Kegotip.C (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: Spyware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel: Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware

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 may be downloaded by other malware/grayware from remote sites.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 138,240 bytes
File Type: EXE
Memory Resident: No
Initial Samples Received Date: 25 Jul 2014
Payload: Steals information

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.

It may be downloaded by the following malware/grayware from remote sites:

  • TROJ_UPATRE.AAW

Installation

This spyware drops the following non-malicious files:

  • %User Temp%\MSWQ{drive letter}.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, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp 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
regedit32 = "{malware path}\{malware filename}"

Other System Modifications

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion
VendorId = "{hex value}"

It creates the following registry entry(ies) to bypass Windows Firewall:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\
List
{malware path}\{malware filename} = "{malware path}\{malware filename}:*:Enabled:Microsoft Office"

Information Theft

This spyware attempts to steal stored account information used in the following installed File Transfer Protocol (FTP) clients or file manager software:

  • SecureFX
  • FTPRush
  • UltraFXP
  • ALFTP
  • FTP Commander
  • FTP Navigator
  • TurboFTP
  • SmartFTP
  • ws_ftp
  • FileZilla
  • far
  • far2
  • CoreFTP
  • CoffeeCup
  • Ghisler

It attempts to steal stored email credentials from the following:

  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Outlook Express

It attempts to get stored information such as user names, passwords, and hostnames from the following browsers:

  • Internet Explorer

NOTES:

This malware sends the gathered information to the following URLs:

  • http://{BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.227.61
  • http://{BLOCKED}land.com

However, as of this writing, the said sites are inaccessible.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine: 9.700

Step 1

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

Step 2

Note that not all files, folders, and registry keys and entries are installed on your computer during this malware's/spyware's/grayware's execution. This may be due to incomplete installation or other operating system conditions. If you do not find the same files/folders/registry information, please proceed to the next step.

Step 3

Remove malware/grayware files that dropped/downloaded TSPY_KEGOTIP.AAW. (Note: Please skip this step if the threats listed below have already been removed.)

     
    • TROJ_UPATRE.AAW

Step 4

Identify and terminate files detected as TSPY_KEGOTIP.AAW

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

Step 5

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
    • regedit32 = "{malware path}\{malware filename}"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List
    • {malware path}\{malware filename} = "{malware path}\{malware filename}:*:Enabled:Microsoft Office"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
    • VendorId = "{hex value}"

Step 6

Search and delete these files

[ Learn More ]
There may be some files 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.
  • %User Temp%\MSWQ{drive letter}.tmp

Step 7

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as TSPY_KEGOTIP.AAW. 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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