Analysis by: Jennifer Gumban

 PLATFORM:

Windows

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

  • Threat Type: Trojan

  • Destructiveness: No

  • Encrypted: Yes

  • In the wild: Yes

  OVERVIEW

Infection Channel: Downloaded from the Internet

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

It connects to certain websites to send and receive information. It terminates itself if it detects it is being run in a virtual environment.

  TECHNICAL DETAILS

File Size: 530,432 bytes
File Type: DLL
Memory Resident: Yes
Initial Samples Received Date: 13 May 2016
Payload: Connects to URLs/IPs, Steals information, Encrypts files

Arrival Details

This Trojan 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 drops the following file(s)/component(s):

  • %All Users Profiles%\{unique ID}.key
  • %All Users Profiles%\Z - deleted afterwards. contains installation date of this malware
  • %User Startup%\{unique ID}.lnk - LNK_WALTRIX.I
  • {random}\!Recovery_{unique ID}.bmp - TROJ_WALTRIX.I
  • {folders containing encrypted files}\!Recovery_{unique ID}.html -HTML_RANSOMNOTE.IA
  • {folders containing encrypted files}\{unique ID}.html - HTML_RANSOMNOTE.IA
  • {folders containing encrypted files}\!Recovery_{unique ID}.txt - ransom note

       where {unique ID} contains 12 hexadecimal characters

(Note: %User Startup% is the current user's Startup folder, which is usually C:\Documents and Settings\{user}\Start Menu\Programs\Startup on Windows 2000 and XP, and C:\Documents and Settings\{User name}\Start Menu\Programs\Startup on Windows Vista, 7, and 8.)

It adds the following processes:

  • copy of the legitimate rundll32.exe named as:
    • %User Temp%\svchost.exe

(Note: %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.)

Other System Modifications

This Trojan modifies the following registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Wallpaper = "{random}\{unique ID}.bmp"

Information Theft

This Trojan gathers the following data:

  • FTP Applications:
    • FlashFXP 3
    • FlashFXP 4
    • FileZilla
    • FTPRush
    • VanDyke
    • FTP Explorer
    • SmartFTP
    • TurboFTP
    • FTPRush
    • Ipswitch WS_FTP
    • Far FTP
    • Far2 FTP
    • CuteFTP 7 Professional
    • CuteFTP 8 Professional
    • CuteFTP 8 Home
    • CuteFTP 6 Professional
    • CuteFTP 6 Home
    • CuteFTP 7 Home
    • Windows Commander
    • Total Commander
    • Bullet Proof FTP
    • Bullet Proof FTP
    • Sota FFFTP
    • FTPWare COREFTP
    • FTPClient
    • SoftX.org FTPClient
  • Instant Messenger Applications:
    • Digsby
    • MySpace
    • Pidgin
    • Trillian
    • Google Talk
    • Paltalk
  • Mail Applications:
    • Windows Live Mail
    • Scribe
    • Outlook
    • Outlook Express
    • Internet Account Manager
  • Cookies:
    • Chrome User Data
  • Bitcoin wallet files containing the following in their file name:
    • WALLET
    • _WALLET
    • .WALLET

Other Details

This Trojan connects to the following website to send and receive information:

  • {BLOCKED}.{BLOCKED}.83.197

It encrypts files with the following extensions:

  • .XLSX
  • .IDRC
  • .DTS
  • .COM
  • .ODEX
  • .GSC
  • .SINF
  • .EPS
  • .VVV
  • .INF
  • .COM
  • .WMV
  • .PHP
  • .AVF
  • .SOB
  • .SANIM
  • .CCX
  • .CCC
  • .RESOURCES
  • .RESX
  • .VB
  • .XXX
  • .ECC
  • .RAW
  • .TIF
  • .PDB
  • .RSP
  • .DPR
  • .PY
  • .H
  • .JAVA
  • .CPP
  • .WPG
  • .MDI
  • .CREATIVETEMPL
  • .IPA
  • .LNK
  • .CCZ
  • .CNR
  • .CLASS
  • .SYM
  • .MHT
  • .CDR
  • .CRYPT
  • .AAA
  • .AS2
  • .EMF
  • .DOCX
  • .MD5
  • .MP4
  • .BPL
  • .TEMPLATE
  • .PDF
  • .DOC
  • .XLS
  • .DIALOG
  • .BNK
  • .BMP
  • .MSG
  • .PPT
  • .SWL
  • .ILP
  • .WDSEML
  • .PPTX
  • .CSS
  • .PSD
  • .AI
  • .APK
  • .AIF
  • .REG
  • .XPNG
  • .GFX
  • .HTML
  • .PNG
  • .SOL
  • .VMT
  • .VTF
  • .VTX
  • .JPG
  • .MDL
  • .VVD
  • .PHY
  • .VVD
  • .SVG
  • .SO
  • .XPT
  • .PYC
  • .MICRO
  • .XML
  • .RUL
  • .GZ
  • .LOG
  • .MANIFEST
  • .DLL
  • .ICO
  • .HTM
  • .LOCALSTORAGE
  • .LOCALSTORAGE-JOURNAL
  • .TGA
  • .XNB
  • .GIF
  • .SWA
  • .PM
  • .INI
  • .TXT
  • .JS
  • .SWF
  • .WMF
  • .MP3
  • .PACKAGE
  • .PMT
  • .PTE
  • .PME
  • .WAV
  • .DDS
  • .OGG
  • .SCF
  • .LUA
  • .IMG
  • .PSPSCRIPT
  • .EXE
  • .URL
  • .OBJ
  • .MESH
  • .PHYS
  • .MTRL
  • .OCX
  • .CAB
  • .SSO
  • .P12
  • .JSP
  • .JSPX
  • .TXT
  • .VVV
  • .JSON
  • .SQF
  • .PRO
  • .SMO
  • .TXT
  • .CCC
  • .SKP
  • .DWG
  • .DAV
  • .ICO
  • .DAT
  • .CER
  • .PVK
  • .IMTL
  • .TMB
  • .META
  • .SMALI
  • .JPEG
  • .CC
  • .JD
  • .PROPERTIES
  • .FRM
  • .PYD
  • .CZS
  • .JAR
  • .CHK
  • .ENCRYPTED
  • .TOC
  • .PNG
  • .1999
  • .AUTOEXEC
  • .BATTHUMBS
  • .DB
  • .3DM
  • .3DS
  • .7Z
  • .ACCDB
  • .AES
  • .AI
  • .APK
  • .APP
  • .ARC
  • .ASC
  • .ASM
  • .ASP
  • .ASPX
  • .BRD
  • .BZ2
  • .C
  • .CER
  • .CFG
  • .CFM
  • .CGI
  • .CGM
  • .CLASS
  • .CMD
  • .CPP
  • .CRT
  • .CS
  • .CSR
  • .CSS
  • .CSV
  • .CUE
  • .DB
  • .DBF
  • .DCH
  • .DCU
  • .DIF
  • .DIP
  • .DJV
  • .DJVU
  • .DOC
  • .DOCB
  • .DOCM
  • .DOCX
  • .DOT
  • .DOTM
  • .DOTX
  • .DTD
  • .DWG
  • .DXF
  • .EML
  • .EPS
  • .FDB
  • .FLA
  • .FRM
  • .GADGET
  • .GBK
  • .GBR
  • .GED
  • .GPG
  • .GPX
  • .GZ
  • .H
  • .HTM
  • .HTML
  • .HWP
  • .IBD
  • .IBOOKS
  • .INDD
  • .JAR
  • .JAVA
  • .JKS
  • .JS
  • .JSP
  • .KEY
  • .KML
  • .KMZ
  • .LAY
  • .LAY6
  • .LDF
  • .LUA
  • .M
  • .MAX
  • .MDB
  • .MDF
  • .MFD
  • .MML
  • .H
  • .MS11
  • .MSI
  • .MYD
  • .MYI
  • .NEF
  • .NOTE
  • .OBJ
  • .ODB
  • .ODG
  • .ODP
  • .ODS
  • .ODT
  • .OTG
  • .OTP
  • .OTS
  • .OTT
  • .P12
  • .PAGES
  • .PAQ
  • .PAS
  • .PCT
  • .PDB
  • .PDF
  • .PEM
  • .PHP
  • .PIF
  • .PL
  • .PLUGIN
  • .POT
  • .POTM
  • .POTX
  • .PPAM
  • .PPS
  • .PPSM
  • .PPSX
  • .PPT
  • .PPTM
  • .PPTX
  • .PRF
  • .PRIV
  • .PRIVATE
  • .PS
  • .PSD
  • .PY
  • .QCOW2
  • .RAR
  • .RAW
  • .RSS
  • .RTF
  • .SCH
  • .SDF
  • .SH
  • .SITX
  • .SLDX
  • .SLK
  • .SLN
  • .SQL
  • .SQLITE3
  • .SQLITEDB
  • .STC
  • .STD
  • .STI
  • .STW
  • .SVG
  • .SWF
  • .SXC
  • .SXD
  • .SXI
  • .SXM
  • .SXW
  • .TAR
  • .TBK
  • .TEX
  • .TGZ
  • .TLB
  • .TXT
  • .UOP
  • .UOT
  • .VB
  • .VBS
  • .VCF
  • .VCXPROJ
  • .VDI
  • .VMDK
  • .VMX
  • .WKS
  • .WPD
  • .WPS
  • .WSF
  • .XCODEPROJ
  • .XHTML
  • .XLC
  • .XLM
  • .XLR
  • .XLS
  • .XLSB
  • .XLSM
  • .XLSX
  • .XLT
  • .XLTM
  • .XLTX
  • .XLW
  • .XML
  • .ZIP
  • .ZIPX
  • .3G2
  • .3GP
  • .AIF
  • .ASF
  • .ASX
  • .AVI
  • .BMP
  • .DDS
  • .FLV
  • .GIF
  • .IFF
  • .JPG
  • .M3U
  • .M4A
  • .M4V
  • .MID
  • .MKV
  • .MOV
  • .MP3
  • .MP4
  • .MPA
  • .MPG
  • .PNG
  • .PSPIMAGE
  • .RA
  • .RM
  • .SRT
  • .TGA
  • .THM
  • .TIF
  • .TIFF
  • .TMP
  • .VOB
  • .WAV
  • .WMA
  • .WMV
  • .YUV

It renames encrypted files using the following names:

  • {original file name}.crypt

It terminates itself if it detects it is being run in a virtual environment.

NOTES:

This malware prevents to encrypt files containing any of the strings in its full path name:

  • \WINDOWS\
  • \WINNT
  • \RECYCLER\
  • \SYSTEM^1\
  • \BOOT\
  • \RECOVERY\
  • \$RECYCLE.BIN\
  • \PERFLOGS\
  • \EFI\Me
  • \CONFIG.MSI\
  • \PROGRA^1\
  • \PROGRA^2\
  • \GOOGLE\
  • \TEMP\
  • \CANON\
  • ROAMING\APPLE
  • ANTIVIRUS\
  • PLUGSCAN2\
  • MICROSOFT
  • WINDOWS
  • GOOGLE\CHROME
  • PLUGINS
  • \PROGRA~1\
  • \PROGRA~2\
  • \ALLUSE~1\
  • \PROGRA~1\
  • \PROGRA~2\
  • \APPDATA\
  • \PROGRA~3\
  • \PUBLIC\
  • \F4BC~1\
  • \APPLIC~1\\COOKIES\
  • \LOCALS~1\
  • \TEMPLA~1\

It checks if it is being run in a virtual environment by checking mouse activity and querying the registry entry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0\ProcessorNameString

  SOLUTION

Minimum Scan Engine: 9.800
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN FILE: 12.524.04
FIRST VSAPI PATTERN DATE: 13 May 2016
VSAPI OPR PATTERN File: 12.525.00
VSAPI OPR PATTERN Date: 14 May 2016

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

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_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
    • Wallpaper = "{random}\{unique ID}.bmp"

Step 4

Remove the malware/grayware file dropped/downloaded by RANSOM_WALTRIX.I. (Note: Please skip this step if the threat(s) listed below have already been removed.)

    • LNK_WALTRIX.I
    • TROJ_WALTRIX.I
    • HTML_RANSOMNOTE.IA

Step 5

Search and delete these files

[ Learn More ]
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.
  • %All Users Profiles%\{unique ID}.key
  • {folders containing encrypted files}\!Recovery_{unique ID}.txt

Step 6

Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as RANSOM_WALTRIX.I. 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 7

Restore encrypted files from backup.


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