Alert level

Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO


Encyclopedia entry
Updated: Oct 26, 2009  |  Published: Oct 26, 2009

Aliases
  • Packed.Win32.Tdss.a (Kaspersky)
  • W32/FakeAlert.AWTT.dropper (Norman)
  • Win32/Kryptik.DJ (ESET)
  • Win32/FakeAv.YL (CA)
  • Adware.VirtuMonde (Symantec)

Alert Level (?)
Severe

Antimalware protection details
Microsoft recommends that you download the latest definitions to get protected.
Detection last updated:
Definition: 1.69.152.0
Released: Oct 26, 2009 		Detection initially created:
Definition: 1.65.1049.0
Released: Sep 23, 2009

Summary

Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO is a trojan that downloads and executes arbitrary files. Some malware detected with this name may also be able to spread to removable drives.
 
For more information on Win32/Alureon, please see our family description elsewhere in this encyclopedia.

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Symptoms

System changes
The following system changes may indicate the presence of this malware:
  • The presence of the following registry modifications (or similar):
    • To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\msqpdxvx
    Adds value: "msqpdxrun"
    With data: "g"
     
    To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\extravideo\CLSID
    Sets value: "(default)"
    With data: "{6bf52a52-394a-11d3-b153-00c04f79faa6}"
     
    To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\msqpdxvx
    Sets value: "msqpdxpff"
    With data: <randomly generated letter or number> e.g. "k"

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Technical Information (Analysis)

Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO is a trojan that downloads and executes arbitrary files. Some malware detected with this name may also be able to spread to removable drives.
 
Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO may be installed by other members of the Win32/Alureon family.
Installation
When executed, Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO creates the event '\\TDKP' to ensure that only one instance of the trojan runs at any time.
 
Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO makes the following modifications to the registry:
To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\msqpdxvx
Adds value: "msqpdxrun"
With data: "g"
 
To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\extravideo\CLSID
Sets value: "(default)"
With data: "{6bf52a52-394a-11d3-b153-00c04f79faa6}"
 
To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\msqpdxvx
Sets value: "msqpdxpff"
With data: <randomly generated letter or number> e.g. "k"
 
Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO also creates the following 2 files for its own use:
  • %temp%\tmp"random number or letter".tmp
  • %temp%\tmp"random number or letter".tmp
Spreads via…
Removable drives
Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO injects code into <system folder>spoolsv.exe, which then performs the spreading routine. This code attempts to copy Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO to all accessible drives as <drive>\resycled\boot.com. It also creates an autorun file -  autorun.inf (detected as Trojan:Win32/Alureon!inf) - in the root of each targeted drive.  Both of these files are hidden. The autorun file, <drive>\autorun.inf, points to the copy of Alureon.CO, <drive>\resycled\boot.com. When the removable or networked drive is accessed from another machine supporting the Autorun feature, the malware is launched automatically.
Payload
Downloads and executes arbitrary files
Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO connects to a remote host in order to download and execute arbitrary files. In the wild, Trojan:Win32/Alureon.CO has been observed contacting IP address 94.247.2.104 for this purpose.
 
Analysis by Tim Liu

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Prevention

Take the following steps to help prevent infection on your system:
  • Enable a firewall on your computer.
  • Get the latest computer updates for all your installed software.
  • Use up-to-date antivirus software.
  • Use caution when opening attachments and accepting file transfers.
  • Use caution when clicking on links to web pages.
  • Avoid downloading pirated software.
  • Protect yourself against social engineering attacks.
  • Use strong passwords.
Enable a firewall on your computer
Use a third-party firewall product or turn on the Microsoft Windows Internet Connection Firewall.
To turn on the Windows Firewall in Windows Vista
  1. Click Start, and click Control Panel.
  2. Click Security.
  3. Click Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
  4. Select On.
  5. Click OK.
To turn on the Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
  1. Click Start, and click Control Panel.
  2. Click Network and Internet Connections. If you do not see Network and Internet Connections, click Switch to Category View.
  3. Click Change Windows Firewall Settings.
  4. Select On.
  5. Click OK.
Get the latest computer updates
Updates help protect your computer from viruses, worms, and other threats as they are discovered. It is important to install updates for all the software that is installed in your computer. These are usually available from vendor websites.
 
You can use the Automatic Updates feature in Windows to automatically download future Microsoft security updates while your computer is on and connected to the Internet.
To turn on Automatic Updates in Windows Vista
  1. Click Start, and click Control Panel. 
  2. Click System and Maintainance.
  3. Click Windows Updates.
  4. Select a setting. Microsoft recommends selecting Install updates automatically and choose a time that is convenient for you. If you do not choose Automatic, but you choose to be notified when updates are ready, a notification balloon appears when new downloads are available to install. Click the notification balloon to review and install the updates.
To turn on Automatic Updates in Windows XP
  1. Click Start, and click Control Panel. 
  2. Click System.
  3. Click Automatic Updates.
  4. Select a setting. Microsoft recommends selecting Automatic. If you do not choose Automatic, but you choose to be notified when updates are ready, a notification balloon appears when new downloads are available to install. Click the notification balloon to review and install the updates.
Use up-to-date antivirus software
Most antivirus software can detect and prevent infection by known malicious software. To help protect you from infection, you should always run antivirus software, such as Microsoft Security Essentials, that is updated with the latest signature files. For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/vista.mspx.
Use caution when opening attachments and accepting file transfers
Exercise caution with e-mail and attachments received from unknown sources, or received unexpectedly from known sources.  Use extreme caution when accepting file transfers from known or unknown sources.
Use caution when clicking on links to Web pages
Exercise caution with links to web pages that you receive from unknown sources, especially if the links are to a Web page that you are not familiar with, unsure of the destination of, or suspicious of. Malicious software may be installed in your system simply by visiting a Web page with harmful content.
Avoid downloading pirated software
Threats may also be bundled with software and files that are available for download on various torrent sites. Downloading "cracked" or "pirated" software from these sites carries not only the risk of being infected with malware, but is also illegal. For more information, see 'The risks of obtaining and using pirated software'.
Protect yourself from social engineering attacks
While attackers may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in hardware or software in order to compromise a system, they also attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in human behavior in order to do the same. When an attacker attempts to take advantage of human behavior in order to persuade the affected user to perform an action of the attacker's choice, it is known as 'social engineering'. Essentially, social engineering is an attack against the human interface of the targeted system. For more information, see 'What is social engineering?'.
Use strong passwords
Attackers may try to gain access to your Windows account by guessing your password. It is therefore important that you use a strong password – one that cannot be easily guessed by an attacker. A strong password is one that has at least 8 characters, and combines letters, numbers, and symbols. For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/create.mspx.

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Recovery

Manual removal is not recommended for this threat. To detect and remove this threat and other malicious software that may have been installed, run a full-system scan with an up-to-date antivirus product such as Microsoft Security Essentials, or the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner. For more information about using antivirus software, see http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/av.aspx.
 
Additional remediation steps required for Alureon
The Domain Name System (DNS) is used (among other things) to map domain names to IP addresses - that is, to map human-readable domain names to machine-readable IP addresses. When a user attempts to visit a particular URL, a browser will use DNS servers to find the correct IP address of the requested domain. When a user is directed to a malicious server that is not part of the authoritative Domain Name System, an attacker can provide incorrect IP addresses at their choice to map to particular domain names, thus directing the user to possibly bogus or malicious sites without the affected user's knowledge.
 
Win32/Alureon may modify DNS settings on the host computer, thus the following steps may be required after the Win32/Alureon removal is complete:
  • If the computer has a network interface that does not receive a configuration using DHCP, reset the DNS configuration if necessary. For information on configuring TCP/IP to use DNS in Windows XP, see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305553

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