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TSPY_KEYLOG.NTS

September 10, 2015
 Analysis by: Mar Philip Elaurza
 ALIASES:

Infostealer.Lemir.Gen (Symantec), Backdoor:Win32/Bifrose (Microsoft), Artemis!0E783C9EA50C (McAfee), Win32.Worm.Regin.D (BitDefender)

 PLATFORM:

Windows

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

  • Threat Type: Spyware

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: No

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel:

Downloaded from the Internet, Dropped by other malware

This spyware may arrive bundled with malware packages as a malware component. 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 logs a user's keystrokes to steal information.

It sends gathered information to a predetermined email address using its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size:

473,088 bytes

File Type:

EXE

Memory Resident:

Yes

Initial Samples Received Date:

08 Sep 2015

Payload:

Logs keystrokes, Steals information

Arrival Details

This spyware may arrive bundled with malware packages as a malware component.

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 spyware drops the following copies of itself into the affected system:

  • %System%\ntsvc.exe

(Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, where it usually is C:\Windows\System32 on all Windows operating system versions.)

Autostart Technique

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

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
NetService = "%System%\ntsvc.exe"

Process Termination

This spyware terminates the following processes if found running in the affected system's memory:

  • QQ.exe
  • RavMon.exe

Dropping Routine

This spyware drops the following file(s), which it uses for its keylogging routine:

  • {random path}\{random filename}.exe

Information Theft

This spyware logs a user's keystrokes to steal information.

Stolen Information

This spyware sends gathered information to a predetermined email address using its own Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) engine.

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine:

9.200

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE:

11.910.03

FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE:

10 Sep 2015

VSAPI OPR PATTERN File:

11.911.00

VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date:

11 Sep 2015

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

Restart in Safe Mode

[ Learn More ]

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_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • NetService = %System%\ntsvc.exe

Step 5

Restart in normal mode and scan your computer with your Trend Micro product for files detected as TSPY_KEYLOG.NTS. 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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