Malicious Software Encyclopedia: Win32/Gibe
Published:
November 8, 2005
Win32/Gibe is a family of mass-mailing network worms that targets certain versions of Microsoft Windows. The worm spreads primarily by sending a copy of itself as an attachment to e-mail addresses found on the infected computer. It can also spread through writeable network shares, IRC channels, and peer-to-peer network file sharing.
On This Page
Threat Overview
| Class/type | Worm - Mass Mailer
Worm - Program-specific
Worm - Network
|
| Discovered | March 4, 2002 |
| Circulating | Yes |
| Affected operating systems | Windows NT 4.0
Windows 95
Windows 2000
Windows XP
|
| Affected software |
Not specified
|
| Infection rating | Low |
| Recovery difficulty | Easy |
| Damage rating | Low |
| Transmission rating | Medium |
Aliases (Also Known As)
Different antivirus vendors may be using different names to refer to this malicious software. Here are some of the names currently in use by antivirus software vendors participating in the Microsoft Virus Information Alliance (VIA):
McAfee:
W32/Gibe@MMSymantec:
W32.Gibe@mmTrend Micro:
WORM_GIBE
Learn more about the
Microsoft Virus Information Alliance.
Technical Analysis
Win32/Gibe may take actions such as the following:
Display a message box with fabricated information. The message box may contain a Yes button and a No button. If the user clicks either button, the worm installs itself. If the user does not click a button, the worm might not install itself.
Check whether the worm previously set a registry value to indicate that the system was infected. If the registry value is set, the worm may immediately exit.
Drop multiple copies of itself with various names to locations such as the system folder, %windir%, and %temp%.
Modify the registry as follows:
Create one or more values in registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
so that the worm runs each time Windows starts.
Modify the value in each of the following keys so that the worm runs each time a corresponding file runs:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open\command
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\scrfile\shell\open\command
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\piffile\shell\open\command
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\comfile\shell\open\command
Drop a backdoor component that monitors a TCP port for commands from attackers.
Spread in the following ways:
By sending a copy of itself as an attachment to e-mail addresses gathered from the computer or remote servers. The worm runs when a user opens the attachment.
By copying itself to startup folders on writeable network shares.
By transmission through an IRC channel.
By copying itself to the share folder of the Kazaa peer-to-peer file-sharing program.
How to Prevent Infection
Take the following steps to help prevent infection on your system:
Enable a firewall on your computer.
Get the latest computer updates.
Use up-to-date antivirus software.
Use caution with unknown attachments.
Use strong passwords.
Remove unneeded network shares.
Enable a firewall on your computer
Use a third-party firewall product or turn on the Microsoft Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall.
To turn on the Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
Click Start, and click Control Panel.
Click Network and Internet Connections, and click Network Connections. If you do not see Network and Internet Connections, click Switch to Category View.
Highlight a connection that you want to help protect, and click Change settings of this connection.
Click Advanced, and select Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet.
Click OK.
Get the latest computer updates
Updates help protect your computer from viruses, worms, and other threats as they are discovered. You can use the Automatic Updates feature in Microsoft Windows XP to automatically download future Microsoft security updates while your computer is on and connected to the Internet.
To turn on Automatic Updates in Windows XP
Click Start, and click Control Panel.
Click Performance and Maintenance. If you do not see Performance and Maintenance, click Switch to Category View.
Click System.
Click Automatic Updates, and select Keep my computer up to date.
Select a setting. Microsoft recommends selecting Automatically download the updates, and install them on the schedule that I specify and setting a regular update time.
If you choose to have Automatic Updates notify you in step 5, you will see a notification balloon when new downloads are available to install. Click the notification balloon to review and install updates.
Use up-to-date antivirus software
Most antivirus software can detect and prevent infection by known malicious software. You should always run antivirus software on your computer that is updated with the latest signature files to automatically help protect you from infection. If you don't have antivirus software installed, you can get it from one of several companies. For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/downloads/default.mspx
Use caution with unknown attachments
Use caution before opening unknown e-mail or IM attachments, even if you know the sender. If you cannot confirm with the sender that a message is valid and that an attachment is safe, delete the message immediately, and run up-to-date antivirus software to check your computer for viruses.
Use strong passwords
A strong password has at least eight characters and includes a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. It is easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess. Weak passwords include any words in the dictionary, names, dates, consecutive letters or numbers, common words with symbol substitutions (for example, p@ssw0rd), and so on.
Remove unneeded network shares
Malicious software can often spread over network shares. Remove unneeded network shares that are mapped to your computer.
To remove network shares in Windows XP
On the Start menu, click My Computer.
On the Tools menu, click Disconnect Network Drives…
In the Disconnect Network Drives dialog box, click the drives to disconnect and click OK.
How to Tell If Your Computer Is Infected
There may be no readily apparent indications that your computer is infected by Win32/Gibe.
How to Recover from Infection
Automatic Recovery
To attempt to automatically remove this threat, run one of the following removal tools:
Transmission Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|
| Mass Mailer | Sends a copy of itself as an attachment to e-mail addresses gathered from the computer or remote servers. |
| Network Shares | Copies itself to writeable network shares. |
Payload Information
| Payload type | Trigger | Description |
|---|
| Display something | Execution | Displays a message box with Yes and No buttons and fabricated information. |
| Creates files | Execution | Copies itself to various locations. |
