Analysis by: Rhena Inocencio
ALIASES:

Worm:VBS/Jenxcus.G (Microsoft), VBS/Autorun.worm.aafx !! (McAfee)

 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: Worm

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: No

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel: Propagates via removable drives, Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware

This worm arrives via removable drives. It arrives on a system as a file dropped by other malware or as a file downloaded unknowingly by users when visiting malicious sites.

It executes commands from a remote malicious user, effectively compromising the affected system. It connects to a website to send and receive information.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 10,564 bytes
File Type: VBS
Memory Resident: Yes
Initial Samples Received Date: 13 Sep 2013
Payload: Downloads files, Compromises system security

Arrival Details

This worm arrives via removable drives.

It 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 worm drops the following copies of itself into the affected system:

  • %User Temp%\Updater.vbs

(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 worm drops the following file(s) in the Windows User Startup folder to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

  • Updater.vbs - copy of itself

Other System Modifications

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
date = "{current date}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
Name = "VBS"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
Contry = "{result from www.ip-adress.com/ip_tracer}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
new = "{yes/no/ok}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
usb = "{-/y/n}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
uspsns = "{drive serial number}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
uspcont = "{number of files in removable drive}"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\scorpion
Nusb = "{number of files in removable drive}"

Propagation

This worm drops the following copy(ies) of itself in all removable drives:

  • {removable drive}:\Pass.vbs

Backdoor Routine

This worm executes the following commands from a remote malicious user:

  • Download and execute a file from http://{BLOCKED}rpionking.no-ip.org:1000/is-sendingScS{URL}ScS
  • Uninstall itself

It connects to the following websites to send and receive information:

  • http://{BLOCKED}rpionking.no-ip.org:1000/ready

Information Theft

This worm gathers the following data:

  • Username
  • Computer Name
  • OS Information
  • IP address and country
  • Malware installation date
  • Drive information
  • Installed Anti-virus

Other Details

This worm connects to the following URL(s) to get the affected system's IP address:

  • http://www.ip-adress.com/ip_tracer

NOTES:

This worm creates shortcut (.LNK) files in all removable drives using names of files located in the removable drive as filenames. The .LNK files point to the dropped copy of itself in the removable drive.

It then sets the attribute of the original files in removable drives to hidden.

It does not have rootkit capabilities.

It does not exploit any vulnerability.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine: 9.300
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE: 10.296.06
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE: 23 Sep 2013
VSAPI OPR PATTERN File: 10.297.00
VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date: 24 Sep 2013

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

Delete this registry key

[ 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. Before you could do this, you must restart in Safe Mode. For instructions on how to do this, you may refer to this page If the preceding step requires you to restart in safe mode, you may proceed to edit the system registry.

  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software
    • scorpion

Step 3

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as VBS_HOUSCORP.B. 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.

NOTES:

Note:

Perform this step after Step 1 above.

Terminate the Malware Process

To terminate the malware/grayware process:

  1. Download Process Explorer.
  2. Extract the contents of the compressed (ZIP) file to a location of your choice.
  3. Execute Process Explorer by double-clicking PROCEXP.EXE.
  4. In the Process Explorer window, locate the malware/grayware/spyware process:
    wscript.exe
  5. Right-click on the said process then choose Properties.
  6. Check if the value for the Command line is any of the following:
    • {removable drive letter}:\Pass.vbs
    • {%User Temp% or %User Startup%}\Updater.vbs
  7. If the contents match, right-click on the malware/grayware process again and choose Kill Process Tree.
  8. Close Process Explorer.


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