Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Virus

Aliases :

Zotob.B, Zotob.B

Summary

Zotob.B is a minor variant of Zotob.A. It spreads using a vulnerability in Windows Plug and Play service (MS05-039).

Removal

Based on the settings of your F-Secure security product, it will either move the file to the quarantine where it cannot spread or cause harm, or remove it.

A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:

  • Check for the latest database updates

    First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.

  • Submit a sample

    After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.

    Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.

  • Exclude a file from further scanning

    If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.

    Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.

Technical Details

The worm is a packed PE executable file 15386 bytes long.

Installation to system

When run, the worm copies under %SYSTEM% directory using the name 'csm.exe' and creates a named mutex 'B-O-T-Z-O-R' for making sure that only one copy of the worm is run at the same time.

Then it adds the following registry entries to ensure that it is started when a user logs on or the system is restarted:

  • [HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
  • [HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices] "csm Win Updates" = "csm.exe"

The worm also adds the following registry key for diasabling shared access service:

  • [HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess] "Start" = "4"

Spreading using Plug and Play service vulnerability

The worm scans for systems vulnerable to Microsoft Windows Plug and Play service (MS05-039) through TCP/445.

It creates 200 threads that connect to random IP addresses within the B-class (255.255.0.0) network of the infected system. First it tests connection to port 445 and if successful, it tries to exploit the vulnerability. If the attack is successful a shell (cmd.exe) is started on port 8888. Through the shell port, the worm sends a ftp script which instructs the remote computer to download and execute the worm from the attacker computer using FTP. The FTP server listens on port 33333 on all infected computers with the purpose of serving out the worm for other hosts that are being infected. The downloaded file is saved as 'haha.exe' on disk.

Here are the summary of the ports used in attack:

  • Port 445- The worm scans for systems vulnerable to PnP exploit through this port
  • Port 33333- FTP server port on infected systems
  • Port 8888- The command shell port opened by the exploit code

The exploit uses fixed offsets inside Windows 2000 version of umpnpmgr.dll. This means that only Windows 2000 systems (SP0-4) are affected.

Please see the following page for detailed information on the vulnerability: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS05-039.mspx

Bot functionality

The worm tries to connect to IRC channel at predefined address. The attacker who knows channel password can instruct the bot to execute the following actions:

  • Disconnect/reconnect from the IRC channel.
  • Request system information.
  • Download and execute files.
  • Remove worm from the system and manipulate system security settings.

Other details

Zotob.B modifies system hosts file in order to disable access to certain sites. Following hostnames are redirected to localhost IP address (127.0.0.1):

  • avp.com
  • ca.com
  • customer.symantec.com
  • dispatch.mcafee.com
  • download.mcafee.com
  • ebay.com
  • f-secure.com
  • kaspersky.com
  • kaspersky-labs.com
  • liveupdate.symantec.com
  • liveupdate.symantecliveupdate.com
  • mast.mcafee.com
  • mcafee.com
  • microsoft.com
  • moneybookers.com
  • my-etrust.com
  • nai.com
  • networkassociates.com
  • pandasoftware.com
  • paypal.com
  • rads.mcafee.com
  • secure.nai.com
  • securityresponse.symantec.com
  • sophos.com
  • symantec.com
  • trendmicro.com
  • updates.symantec.com
  • update.symantec.com
  • us.mcafee.com
  • viruslist.com
  • virustotal.com
  • www.amazon.com
  • www.avp.com
  • www.ca.com
  • www.ebay.com
  • www.f-secure.com
  • www.grisoft.com
  • www.kaspersky.com
  • www.mcafee.com
  • www.microsoft.com
  • www.moneybookers.com
  • www.my-etrust.com
  • www.nai.com
  • www.networkassociates.com
  • www.pandasoftware.com
  • www.paypal.com
  • www.sophos.com
  • www.symantec.com
  • www.trendmicro.com
  • www.virustotal.com

The worm also writes the following text to hosts file:

Botzor2005 Made By .... Greetz to good friend Coder. Based On HellBot3
 MSG to avs: the first av who detect this worm will be the first killed in the next 24hours!!!