WORM_PALEVO.SMJJ

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 drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.

It executes commands from a remote malicious user, effectively compromising the affected system. However, as of this writing, the said sites are inaccessible.

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 Profile%\csrss.exe

(Note: %User Profile% is the current user's profile folder, which is usually C:\Windows\Profiles\{user name} on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\Profiles\{user name} on Windows NT, and C:\Documents and Settings\{user name} on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003.)

It injects itself into the following processes as part of its memory residency routine:

• explorer.exe

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Taskman = "%User Profile%\csrss.exe"

Propagation

This worm creates the following folders in all removable drives:

• MUSKO
• TWINS

It drops copies of itself into the following folders used in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks:

• Ares
• BearShare
• DC++
• eMule
• eMule Plus
• iMesh
• Kazaa
• Limewire
• Shareaza

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

• {Removable Drive}:\MUSKO\karikatura.exe
• {Removable Drive}:\TWINS\jutroivece.exe

It drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.

The said .INF file contains the following strings:

[autorun
{garbage characters}
open={folder name}///{malware filename}.exe
{garbage characters}
icon=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,4
{garbage characters}
action=Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer
{garbage characters}
Shell\open\command={folder name}///{malware filename}.exe
{garbage characters}
shell\open\command={folder name}///{malware filename}.exe
{garbage characters}
USEAUTOPLAY=1
{garbage characters}

It sends messages that contain links to sites hosting remote copies of itself using the following instant-messaging (IM) applications:

• MSN Messenger

Backdoor Routine

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

• Perform port scans
• Perform SYN flood
• Propagate itself via MSN Messenger
• Propagate itself via P2P networks

It connects to the following URL(s) to send and receive commands from a remote malicious user:

• {BLOCKED}t.brand-clothes.net
• {BLOCKED}a.banjalucke-ljepotice.ru
• {BLOCKED}a.prichaonica.com

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