This ZBOT variant drops a configuration file that contains a list of its targeted banks and other financial sites. It also steals information from different FTP sites and steals personal certificates from the infected system. It is also related to incorporating the scripting language, AutoIt, which makes malware analysis an arduous task.
To get a one-glance comprehensive view of the behavior of this Spyware, refer to the Threat Diagram shown below.

This spyware may be dropped by other malware.
It modifies Internet Explorer security settings. This puts the affected computer at greater risk, as it allows malicious URLs to be accessed by the computer.
It attempts to steal information, such as user names and passwords, used when logging into certain banking or finance-related websites.
Arrival Details
This spyware may be dropped by the following malware:
Installation
This spyware drops the following copies of itself into the affected system and executes them:
- %Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{random file name}.exe
(Note: %Application Data% is the current user's Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista and 7.)
It drops the following files:
- %System Root%\debug.txt
- %Application Data%\{random folder 1}\{random file name}.{random extension}
- %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab
- %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab~
(Note: %System Root% is the root folder, which is usually C:\. It is also where the operating system is located.. %Application Data% is the current user's Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista and 7.)
It creates the following folders:
- %Application Data%\{random folder 1}
- %Application Data%\{random folder 2}
- %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book
(Note: %Application Data% is the current user's Application Data folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user name}\Application Data on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, or C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming on Windows Vista and 7.)
It injects codes into the following process(es):
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
{GUID} = "%Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{random file name}.exe"
Other System Modifications
This spyware adds the following registry keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random key}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Internet Explorer\Privacy
It adds the following registry entries:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
{random key}
{random} = "{random}"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
OlkContactRefresh = "0"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
OlkFolderRefresh = "0"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4
FirstRun = "1"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
WAB\WAB4\Wab File Name
(Default) = "%Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book\{user name}.wab"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Internet Explorer\Privacy
CleanCookies = "0"
It creates the following registry entry(ies) to bypass Windows Firewall:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\
List
%Windows%\explorer.exe = "%Windows%\explorer.exe:*:Enabled:Windows Explorer"
Web Browser Home Page and Search Page Modification
This spyware modifies Internet Explorer zone settings.
Download Routine
This spyware downloads an updated copy of itself from the following website(s):
- http://{BLOCKED}arkbot.com/arxl/chithre/bot.exe
It connects to the following URL(s) to download its configuration file:
- http://{BLOCKED}arkbot.com/arxl/chithre/config.bin
Information Theft
This spyware attempts to access a website to download a file which contains information where the Trojan can download an updated copy of itself, and where to send its stolen data. This configuration file also contains the following list of targeted bank-related websites from which it steals information:
- *.ebay.com/*eBayISAPI.dll?*
- *//mail.yandex.ru/index.xml
- *//mail.yandex.ru/
- *//money.yandex.ru/
- *//money.yandex.ru/index.xml
- */atl.osmp.ru/*
- */login.osmp.ru/*
- */my.ebay.com/*CurrentPage=MyeBayPersonalInfo*
- *banquepopulaire.fr/*
- *wellsfargo.com/*
- http://*.osmp.ru/
- http://caixasabadell.net/banca2/tx0011/0011.jsp
- http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/internet-banking*
- https://areasegura.banif.es/bog/bogbsn*
- https://banca.cajaen.es/Jaen/INclient.jsp
- https://bancaonline.openbank.es/servlet/PProxy?*
- https://bancopostaonline.poste.it/bpol/bancoposta/formslogin.asp
- https://banesnet.banesto.es/*/loginEmpresas.htm
- https://banking*.anz.com/*
- https://cardsonline-consumer.com/RBSG_Consumer/VerifyLogin.do
- https://carnet.cajarioja.es/banca3/tx0011/0011.jsp
- https://easyweb*.tdcanadatrust.com/servlet/*FinancialSummaryServlet*
- https://empresas.gruposantander.es/WebEmpresas/servlet/webempresas.servlets.*
- https://extranet.banesto.es/*/loginParticulares.htm
- https://extranet.banesto.es/npage/OtrosLogin/LoginIBanesto.htm
- https://hb.quiubi.it/newSSO/x11logon.htm
- https://home.cbonline.co.uk/login.html*
- https://home.ybonline.co.uk/login.html*
- https://home.ybonline.co.uk/ral/loginmgr/*
- https://home2ae.cd.citibank.ae/CappWebAppAE/producttwo/capp/action/signoncq.do
- https://ibank.barclays.co.uk/olb/x/LoginMember.do
- https://ibank.internationalbanking.barclays.com/logon/icebapplication*
- https://intelvia.cajamurcia.es/2043/entrada/01entradaencrip.htm
- https://internetbanking.aib.ie/hb1/roi/signon
- https://light.webmoney.ru/default.aspx
- https://lot-port.bcs.ru/names.nsf?#ogin*
- https://montevia.elmonte.es/cgi-bin/INclient_2098*
- https://oi.cajamadrid.es/CajaMadrid/oi/pt_oi/Login/login
- https://oie.cajamadridempresas.es/CajaMadrid/oie/pt_oie/Login/login_oie_1
- https://olb2.nationet.com/MyAccounts/frame_MyAccounts_WP2.asp*
- https://olb2.nationet.com/signon/signon*
- https://online*.lloydstsb.co.uk/logon.ibc
- https://online-business.lloydstsb.co.uk/customer.ibc
- https://online-offshore.lloydstsb.com/customer.ibc
- https://online.wamu.com/Servicing/Servicing.aspx?targetPage=AccountSummary
- https://online.wellsfargo.com/das/cgi-bin/session.cgi*
- https://online.wellsfargo.com/login*
- https://online.wellsfargo.com/signon*
- https://onlinebanking#.wachovia.com/myAccounts.aspx?referrer=authService
- https://onlinebanking.nationalcity.com/OLB/secure/AccountList.aspx
- https://onlinebanking.norisbank.de/norisbank/login.do?method=login* GP
- https://onlineeast#.bankofamerica.com/cgi-bin/ias/*/GotoWelcome
- https://pastornetparticulares.bancopastor.es/SrPd*
- https://privati.internetbanking.bancaintesa.it/sm/login/IN/box_login.jsp
- https://probanking.procreditbank.bg/main/main.asp*
- https://resources.chase.com/MyAccounts.aspx
- https://rupay.com/index.php
- https://scrigno.popso.it*
- https://web.da-us.citibank.com/*BS_Id=MemberHomepage*
- https://web.da-us.citibank.com/cgi-bin/citifi/portal/l/autherror.do*
- https://web.da-us.citibank.com/cgi-bin/citifi/portal/l/l.do
- https://web.secservizi.it/siteminderagent/forms/login.fcc
- https://welcome23.smile.co.uk/SmileWeb/start.do
- https://welcome27.co-operativebank.co.uk/CBIBSWeb/start.do
- https://www#.citizensbankonline.com/*/index-wait.jsp
- https://www#.usbank.com/internetBanking/LoginRouter
- https://www*.banking.first-direct.com/1/2/*
- https://www.53.com/servlet/efsonline/index.html*
- https://www.bancajaproximaempresas.com/ControlEmpresas*
- https://www.bancoherrero.com/es/*
- https://www.bbvanetoffice.com/local_bdno/login_bbvanetoffice.html
- https://www.bgnetplus.com/niloinet/login.jsp
- https://www.caixagirona.es/cgi-bin/INclient_2030*
- https://www.caixalaietana.es/cgi-bin/INclient_2042
- https://www.caixaontinyent.es/cgi-bin/INclient_2045
- https://www.caixatarragona.es/esp/sec_1/oficinacodigo.jsp
- https://www.caja-granada.es/cgi-bin/INclient_2031
- https://www.cajabadajoz.es/cgi-bin/INclient_6010*
- https://www.cajacanarias.es/cgi-bin/INclient_6065
- https://www.cajacirculo.es/ISMC/Circulo/acceso.jsp
- https://www.cajadeavila.es/cgi-bin/INclient_6094
- https://www.cajalaboral.com/home/acceso.asp
- https://www.cajasoldirecto.es/2106/*
- https://www.cajavital.es/Appserver/vitalnet*
- https://www.ccm.es/cgi-bin/INclient_6105
- https://www.citibank.de*
- https://www.clavenet.net/cgi-bin/INclient_7054
- https://www.dab-bank.com*
- https://www.e-gold.com/acct/balance.asp*
- https://www.e-gold.com/acct/li.asp
- https://www.ebank.hsbc.co.uk/main/IBLogon.jsp
- https://www.fibancmediolanum.es/BasePage.aspx*
- https://www.gbw2.it/cbl/jspPages/form_login_AV.jsp* GP
- https://www.gruposantander.es/*
- https://www.gruposantander.es/bog/sbi*?ptns=acceso*
- https://www.gruppocarige.it/grps/vbank/jsp/login.jsp
- https://www.halifax-online.co.uk/_mem_bin/*
- https://www.halifax-online.co.uk/_mem_bin/formslogin.asp*
- https://www.halifax-online.co.uk/MyAccounts/MyAccounts.aspx*
- https://www.in-biz.it* GP
- https://www.isbank.com.tr/Internet/ControlLoader.aspx*
- https://www.isideonline.it/relaxbanking/sso.Login*
- https://www.iwbank.it/private/index_pub.jhtml*
- https://www.mybank.alliance-leicester.co.uk/login/*
- https://www.nwolb.com/Login.asp*
- https://www.nwolb.com/Login.aspx*
- https://www.paypal.com/*/webscr?cmd=_account
- https://www.paypal.com/*/webscr?cmd=_login-done*
- https://www.rbsdigital.com/Login.asp*
- https://www.sabadellatlantico.com/es/*
- https://www.suntrust.com/portal/server.pt*parentname=Login*
- https://www.unicaja.es/PortalServlet*
- https://www.uno-e.com/local_bdnt_unoe/Login_unoe2.html
- https://www.us.hsbc.com/*
- https://www.wellsfargo.com/*
- https://www2.bancopopular.es/AppBPE/servlet/servin*
It attempts to steal information from the following banks and/or other financial institutions:
- Allied Irish Banks
- ANZ
- Banca Intesa
- Bancaja
- Banco Mediolanum
- Banco Pastor
- Banco Popular
- Banco Sabadell
- Banesto
- Banif
- Bank of America
- Banque Populaire
- Barclays
- BBVANet Office
- Business Bank of Turkey
- Caixa Girona
- Caixa Laietana
- Caixa Ontinyent
- Caixa Sabadell
- Caixa Tarragona
- Caja Badajoz
- Caja de Avila
- Caja Granada
- Caja Laboral
- Caja Madrid
- Caja Murcia
- Caja Rioja
- Caja Vital
- CajaCanarias
- Cajacirculo
- Cajasol
- Cards Online
- CCM
- Chase
- Citibank
- Citizens Bank
- Clavenet
- Clydesdale Bank
- Co-operative Bank
- DAB Bank
- E-gold
- Ebay
- Fifth Third Bank
- First Direct
- Gruppo Carige
- Halifax
- HSBC
- Inbiz
- IW Bank
- Keeper Light - WebMoney
- Lloyds TSB
- Monte Dei Paschi Di Siena
- National City
- Nationwide
- NatWest
- Norisbank
- Openbank
- Paypal
- Poste Italiane
- ProCredit Bank
- Qui UBI
- Relax Banking
- Royal Bank of Scotland
- RuPay
- Sabadell Atlantico
- Santander
- SCRIGNO
- Sec Servizi
- Smile
- SunTrust
- TD Canada Trust
- U.S. Bank
- Unicaja
- Uno-e
- Wachovia
- Washington Mutual
- Wells Fargo
- Yandex
- Yorkshire Bank
It gathers the following data:
It attempts to steal stored account information used in the following installed File Transfer Protocol (FTP) clients or file manager software:
- FlashXP
- TotalCommander
- WS_FTP
- Filezilla
- FTP Commander
- Smart FTP
Drop Points
Stolen information is uploaded to the following websites:
- http://{BLOCKED}arkbot.com/arxl/chithre/gate.php
NOTES:
It drops %System Root%\debug.txt which contains log of its behavior.
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
Remove the malware/grayware file that dropped/downloaded TSPY_ZBOT.SMIG
Step 3
Restart in Safe Mode
[ Learn More ]
[ back ]
To restart in Safe Mode:
• For Windows 2000 users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 when you see the Starting Windows bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Choose the Safe Mode option from the Windows Advanced Options menu then press Enter.
• For Windows XP users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 after the Power-On Self Test (POST) routine is done. If the Windows Advanced Options menu does not appear, try restarting then pressing F8 several times when the POST screen appears.
- Choose the Safe Mode option from the Windows Advanced Options menu then press Enter.
• For Windows Server 2003 users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 after Windows starts up. If the Windows Advanced Options menu does not appear, try restarting again and pressing F8 several times afterward.
- On the Windows Advanced Option menu, use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode then press Enter.
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7 users
- Restart your computer.
- Press F8 after the Power-On Self Test (POST) routine is done. If the Advanced Boot Options menu does not appear, try restarting and then pressing F8 several times after the POST screen is displayed.
- On the Advanced Boot Options menu, use the arrow keys to select the Safe Mode option, and then press Enter.
Step 4
Delete this registry key
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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
- In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
To delete registry keys this malware/grayware created:
- Open Registry Editor. To do this, click Start>Run, type regedit in the text box provided, then press Enter.
- In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft - Still in the left panel, locate and delete the key:
WAB - In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Internet Explorer - Still in the left panel, locate and delete the key:
Privacy - Close Registry Editor.
Step 5
Delete this registry value
[ Learn More ]
[ back ]
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
- {GUID} = "%Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{random file name}.exe"
- In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile\AuthorizedApplications\List
- %Windows%\explorer.exe = "%Windows%\explorer.exe:*:Enabled:Windows Explorer"
To delete the registry value this malware created:
- Open Registry Editor. To do this, click Start>Run, type regedit in the text box provided, then press Enter.
- In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Run - In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
{GUID} = "%Application Data%\{random folder 2}\{random file name}.exe" - In the left panel of the Registry Editor window, double-click the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Services>SharedAccess>Parameters>FirewallPolicy>StandardProfile>AuthorizedApplications>List - In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
%Windows%\explorer.exe = "%Windows%\explorer.exe:*:Enabled:Windows Explorer" - Close Registry Editor.
Step 6
Search and delete these folders
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Please make sure you check the
Search Hidden Files and Folders checkbox in the More advanced options option to include all hidden folders in the search result.
- %Application Data%\{random folder 1}
- %Application Data%\{random folder 2}
- %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book
To delete malware/grayware/spyware folders:
- Right-click Start then click Search... or Find..., depending on the version of Windows you are running.
- In the Named input box, type:
- %Application Data%\{random folder 1}
- %Application Data%\{random folder 2}
- %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book
- In the Look In drop-down list, select My Computer, then press Enter.
- Once located, select the folder then press SHIFT+DELETE to permanently delete the folder.
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the remaining folders:
- %Application Data%\{random folder 1}
- %Application Data%\{random folder 2}
- %Application Data%\Microsoft\Address Book
Step 7
Search and delete this file
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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.
To manually delete a malware/grayware file from an affected system:
• For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003:
- Right-click Start then click Search....
- In the left panel, click All Files.
- In the Named input box, type the following:
- In the Look In drop-down list, select My Computer then press Enter.
- Once located, select the file then press SHIFT+DELETE to delete it.
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7 users:
- Click Start>Computer.
- In the Search input box, type the following:
- Once located, select the file then press SHIFT+DELETE to delete it.
*Note: Read the following Microsoft page if these steps do not work on Windows 7.
Step 8
Reset Internet security settings
[ Learn More ]
[ back ]
To reset Internet security settings:
- Close all Internet browser windows.
- Open Control Panel. To do this:
• On Windows 2000
Click Start>Settings>Control Panel
• On Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, and 7
Click Start>Control Panel - Double-click Internet Options.
- In the Internet Properties window, click the Security tab.
- For each Web content zone, click on the Default Level button to set each zone to the default setting.
- Click OK.
Step 9
Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as TSPY_ZBOT.SMIG. 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.
Step 10
The following created registry key(s) cannot be identified by the user since there are no reference values in the created key. The only way it can be identified is by comparing the present keys with a backup of the system registry. Note that the said key(s) do not have to be deleted since it won't be harmful to the system:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\{random key}
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