I-Worm.Unis
Details
I-Worm.Unis.a
This is Internet worm spreading with emails (as attached file) and through IRC channels. The worm is also able to affect RAR archives, it appends its code to RAR archives contents.
The worm functionality is based on so-called “plugins”. The main worm component (Win32 EXE file about 12K of length) that is sent with emails and to IRC channels is just a “loader” that connects to a Web page and gets more worm components (plugins) from there, and then executes them. So, the worm functionality is completely dependent on plugins. There are five plugins known at the moment.
There Web page address depends on worm versions. There are addresses known at the moment:
http://hyperlink.cz/benny/viruses/
http://shadowvx.com/benny/viruses/
All known worm components (main EXE file and plugins) are compressed with TeLoc Win32 PE EXE files compressor.
The worm code has many bugs and infected files halt the system in most of cases and fails to send its copies to Inet. So, the worm has very few chances to be discovered in-the-wild.
Main Component
When main worm EXE file is executed (from attached email file, for example), it stays in the system as a service (hidden application), copies itself to Windows system directory with the MSVBVM60.EXE name (do not mix it up with MSVBVM60.DLL Windows VisualBasic library) and registers this copy in Windows auto-run registry key:
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
The worm then gets connection to “http://hyperlink.cz/benny/viruses” Web page (somewhere in Czech republic) or to another one (depending on worm version), gets its plugins from there (the plugins are listed in special file at that site) and stores them in Windows system directory with names:
MSVBVM6A.DLL
MSVBVM6B.DLL
MSVBVM6C.DLL
MSVBVM6D.DLL
e.t.c.
These plugins are encrypted by Windows RSA crypto library, so the worm first decrypts them and then activates.
The worm then “sleeps” for some time (randomly selected - up to 5 minutes), and repeats all that again.
The main worm component contains the text:
[I-Worm.Universe] by Benny/29A
“Payload” Plugins
This plugins depending on system timer calls one of three procedures:
1. Affects MS Explorer: it sets default start, local, “what’s new” and search pages to “http://www.therainforestsite.com”
2. Gets the UNIVERSE.JPG file from worm’s Web site and registers it as Windows desktop WallPaper.
3. Messes up the Desktop - randomly moves the blocks of it.
“Feedback” Plugin
This plugins reports about infected machine: it sends the report to email address which are different in different plugin’s version:
benny_29a@hushmail.com
auto129742@hushmail.com
The report contains the Inet name of infected machine and the date&time of infection.
“Mail” Plugin
This plugins scans all HTML files in Internet cache directory, gets Inet addresses from there and sends messages to these addresses. The messages have the fields:
From: “Microsoft Support” [support@microsoft.com]
Reply-To: “Peter Szor” [pszor@symantec.com]
To: “Mikko Hypponen” [mikko.hypponen@f-secure.com]
Subject: Virus Alert
Attached file name: uniclean.zip
Text:
Dear user
F-Secure, Symantec and Microsoft, top leaders in IT technologies have discovered one very dangerous Internet worm called I-Worm.Universe in the wild. Author of this viral program is well known hacker from Europe under “Benny” nickname from 29A virus writting group.
Universe is fast-spreading worm that already destroyed computer systems in FBI and Microsoft. It is heavilly encrypted and very complex. It consists from many independed parts called “modules”, which are very variable - every second hour is producted one new module, that completelly changes behaviour of worm, including anti-detection tricks.
You should check your system by our anti-virus attached to this mail. All reports please send to our mail address: universe@microsoft.com and/or universe@f-secure.com
Have a nice day,
F-Secure, Symantec and Microsoft, top leaders in IT technologies.
The attached file actually is worm main component (loader), not ZIP archive. If a victim user tries to open that file from email message a ZIP archiver will start and it will report about broken archive or wrong archive format. So the worm code will not be activated as a result under standard Windows installation.
“Mirc” Plugin
This plugin just drops to C:\MIRC32 directory (if exists) new SCRIPT.INI file that contains the text:
;Default mIRC32 script
;** DO NOT EDIT **
and the instruction that sends worm “loader” to any user who enters infected IRC channel.
“Rar” Plugin
This plugins looks for all *.RAR archives in MS Explorer Download directory and writes itself with SETUP.EXE name to the archive.
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