Win32/FakeCog is a family of programs that claim to scan for malware and display fake warnings of malicious files. They then inform the user that they need to pay money to register the software in order to remove these non-existent threats.
Special Note:
Reports of
Rogue Antivirus programs have been more prevalent as of late. These are programs that generate misleading alerts and false detections in order to convince users to purchase illegitimate security software. Some of these programs may display product names or logos in an apparently unlawful attempt to impersonate Microsoft products.
Win32/FakeCog is a family of programs that claim to scan for malware and display fake warnings of malicious files. They then inform the user that they need to pay money to register the software in order to remove these non-existent threats.
Installation
Upon execution, Rogue:Win32/FakeCog may create a registry subkey and its associated entries, for example:
To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\AntiMalware
Adds value: "Settings_0"
With data: "dword:00000000"
Adds value: "SecStatus_3"
With data: "dword:00000001"
Adds value: "SecStatus_4"
With data: "dword:00000001"
Adds value: "SecStatus_5"
With data: "dword:00000001"
Adds value: "FD"
With data: "dword:00000000"
Adds value: "GUID"
With data: "455366164553576845534928"
Adds value: "Data"
With data: ":1830:2040:2145:2250:2355:2460:2670:2775:2880:"
Adds value: "swver"
With data: "1.0"
Adds value: "dbver"
With data: "1.0"
Adds value: "dbsigns"
With data: "61473"
Adds value: "InfectedFiles"
With data: "C:\WINDOWS\System32\olecli.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\scrrun.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\stclient.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\url.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\winhttp.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\oobe\dtsgnup.htm,C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\cdaudio.sys,C:\WINDOWS\System32\Drivers\sonydcam.sys,C:\Program Files\outlook Express\wab.exe,"
Adds value: "Infected"
With data: "dword:00000009"
Win32/FakeCog has been observed to drop two components in the %TEMP% directory.
The first component drops a DLL file with a variable name in the same folder, and injects it into the Windows Explorer process so that it can remain running on the computer.
The second component displays an imitation of the Windows Security Center dialog box and drops an EXE file with a double name extension “.tmp.exe” (for example, asdf.tmp.exe) in the same folder. This EXE file tries to uninstall legitimate security products that it finds in the system and also installs its own rogue software.
Note: %TEMP% refers to a variable location that is determined by the malware by querying the Operating System. The default installation location for the Temp folder for Windows 2000 and NT is C:\DOCUME~1\<user>\LOCALS~1\Temp; and for XP, Vista, and 7 is %TEMP% = C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Temp.
Win32/FakeCog may create desktop shortcuts, as seen in the example below:
Win32/FakeCog has also been observed to download and install variants of the Win32/Alureon family onto the infected system.
Payload
Displays false security alerts and misleading dialogs
Win32/FakeCog displays false security alerts on the system to prompt the user into purchasing its registered version.
Win32/FakeCog attempts to masquerade as the Windows Security Center in order to convince affected users of its legitimacy. It does this as an attempt to convince the user to install the rogue, as seen in the image below:
Win32/FakeCog poses as legitimate software by displaying Install messages, as seen below:
Win32/FakeCog displays a scanner which falsely reports a number of threats in the system.
If the user clicks on the 'Activate your copy' button, he or she may see the following:
Note that the logos on the lower right hand corner are there to mislead the user into thinking that the transaction is secure and legitimate. None of these companies are actually affiliated with this program.
The rogue informs the user this version is a demo which requires an upgrade.
It also periodically displays a number of dialog boxes and system tray balloons which attempt to convince the user to pay money to register the software:
Prompts user to uninstall antivirus software
Win32/FakeCog may prompt the user to remove legitimate antivirus software that is installed in the computer. To do this, it may display a message box such as the following:
Pressing OK runs the uninstaller for certain antivirus software. In the above example, the legitimate antivirus software it attempts to force the user to uninstall is Microsoft Security Essentials.
Connects to remote sites and downloads arbitrary files
Win32/FakeCog may also download encrypted files from remote sites. The encrypted files may contain data or may also be malware.
Disables task manager
Some variants of Win32/Fakecog have been observed disabling Task Manager by making the following registry modifications:
Adds value: "DisableTaskMgr"
With data: "1"
To subkey: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Adds value: “DisableTaskMgr"
With data: "1”
To subkey: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
Analysis by Francis Allan Tan Seng & Gilou Tenebro
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 webpages.
-
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.
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.
Use up-to-date antivirus software
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 webpages
Exercise caution with links to webpages that you receive from unknown sources, especially if the links are to a webpage 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 webpage 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 eight characters, and combines letters, numbers, and symbols. For more information, see
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/create.mspx.
