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TSPY_NEGASTEAL

May 08, 2018
 ALIASES:

Spyware.AgentTesla.MSIL.Generic (Malwarebytes)

 PLATFORM:

Windows

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

  • Threat Type: Trojan Spy

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted:

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

NEGASTEAL (also known as AGENT TESLA) and its variants are meant to be used as softwares for monitoring personal computers. It is a powerful logger that can monitor keystrokes, screenshots, webcam capture, and clipboard. It is also capable of gathering system information and saved passwords for browsers, mail clients, and many more. These information are sent in logs via php (web panel), e-mail (smtp), or ftp. Some NEGASTEAL variants have the capability to terminate AV products, Task Manager, CMD, Registry editor, System Restore, and other debugging tools. It can also terminate itself if it is being run in a Virtual Machine or if a specific process is found running.

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

It gathers certain information on the affected computer.

It deletes the initially executed copy of itself.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

Arrival Details

This Trojan Spy 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 Trojan Spy drops the following copies of itself into the affected system:

  • %Application Data%\{File Name}\{File Name}.exe
  • %User Temp%\tmpG{random}.tmp

(Note: %Application Data% is the Application Data folder, where it usually is C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data on Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP (32- and 64-bit); C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), Windows 8 (32- and 64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2012.. %User Temp% is the user's temporary folder, where it usually is C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Local Settings\Temp on Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP (32- and 64-bit); C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), Windows 8 (32- and 64-bit), Windows 8.1 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2012.)

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\Current Version\Run
{File Name} = "%Application Data%\{File Name}\{File Name}.exe"

Other System Modifications

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\
mscfile\shell\open\
command
{default} = %System%\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe Start-Process -FilePath "{Malware path and filename}" -wait"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer
NoViewContextMenu = "1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System
DisableTaskMgr = "1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\
Microsoft\Windows\System
DisableCMD = "1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System
DisableRegistryTools = "1"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore
DisableSR = "1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer
NoRun = "1"

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer
NoFolderOptions = "1"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer
NoFolderOptions = "1"

It modifies the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System
EnableLUA = "0"

(Note: The default value data of the said registry entry is "1".)

Information Theft

This Trojan Spy gathers the following information on the affected computer:

  • Key Logs
  • Screenshots
  • Clipboard Logs
  • Webcam Capture
  • System Information
  • Username and Paswords

Other Details

This Trojan Spy deletes the initially executed copy of itself

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.850

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

Identify and terminate files detected as TSPY_NEGASTEAL

[ 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 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\Current Version\Run
    • {File Name} = "%Application Data%\{File Name}\{File Name}.exe"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\mscfile\shell\open\command
    • {default} = %System%\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe Start-Process -FilePath "{Malware path and filename}" -wait"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    • NoViewContextMenu = "1"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
    • DisableTaskMgr = "1"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System
    • DisableCMD = "1"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
    • DisableRegistryTools = "1"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore
    • DisableSR = "1"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    • NoRun = "1"
  • In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    • NoFolderOptions = "1"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    • NoFolderOptions = "1"

Step 5

Restore this modified 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_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
    • From: EnableLUA = "0"
      To: EnableLUA = "1"

Step 6

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as TSPY_NEGASTEAL. 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 the following Trend Micro Support pages for more information:


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