WORM_AGENT.VI

 Analysis by: kathleenno

 ALIASES:

Trojan.Gen (Symantec); Backdoor:Win32/IRCbot.gen!U (Microsoft); Worm.Win32.Carrier.ack (Kaspersky); Generic.dx!tdb (Mcafee)

 PLATFORM:

Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003

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

  • Threat Type: Worm

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: No

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

This worm 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 copies of itself in all removable drives. It drops an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically execute the copies it drops when a user accesses the drives of an affected system.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

271,872 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

25 May 2011

Arrival Details

This worm 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:

  • %Windows%\sysdiag64.exe

(Note: %Windows% is the Windows folder, which is usually C:\Windows or C:\WINNT.)

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
sysdiag64.exe = "%Windows%\sysdiag64.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\
Explorer\Run
MicrosoftCorp = "%Windows%\sysdiag64.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MIcrosoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
MIcrosoftNAPC = "%Windows%\sysdiag64.exe"

Propagation

This worm drops copies of itself in all removable drives.

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]
[autorun[
[autorun]
open=cold\hott\sysdiag64.exe
icon=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,4
action=Open folder to view files
UseAuTOPLAY=1
shell\open\command=cold\hott\sysdiag64.exe
shell\Explore\Command=cold\hott\sysdiag64.exe

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

8.900

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

8.180.18

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

25 May 2011

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

Identify and terminate files detected as WORM_AGENT.VI

[ 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 3

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
    • sysdiag64.exe = "%Windows%\sysdiag64.exe"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\Run
    • MicrosoftCorp = "%Windows%\sysdiag64.exe"
  • In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MIcrosoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • MIcrosoftNAPC = "%Windows%\sysdiag64.exe"

Step 4

Search and delete AUTORUN.INF files created by WORM_AGENT.VI that contain these strings

[ Learn More ]
autorun]
[autorun[
[autorun]
open=cold\hott\sysdiag64.exe
icon=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,4
action=Open folder to view files
UseAuTOPLAY=1
shell\open\command=cold\hott\sysdiag64.exe
shell\Explore\Command=cold\hott\sysdiag64.exe

Step 5

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as WORM_AGENT.VI. 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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