Virus:W32/Duts.1520

Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Virus

Aliases :

Virus:W32/Duts.1520, WinCE/Duts.1520

Summary

A malicious program that secretly integrates itself into program or data files. It spreads by integrating itself into more files each time the host program is run.

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

Duts is a parasitic file infector virus. It is the first known virus for the PocketPC platform. Duts affects ARM-based devices only.Duts is a 1520 bytes long program, hand written in assembly for the ARM processor. When an infected file is executed the virus asks for permission to infect:

WinCE4.Dust by Ratter/29A
Dear User, am I allowed to spread?

When granted the permission, Duts attempts to infect all EXE files in the current directory. Duts only infects files that are bigger than 4096 bytes and have not been infected yet. As an infection marker the virus writes the string 'atar' to the Windows Version field of the EXE header.

The infection routine is fairly simple. The virus body is appended to the file and the last section is made readable and executable. The entry point of the file is set to the beginning of the virus code.

Duts contains two messages that are not displayed:

  • This is proof of concept code. Also, i wanted to make avers happy.
  • The situation when Pocket PC antiviruses detect only EICAR file had to end ...

The other one is a reference to the science-fiction book Permutation City by Greg Egan, where the virus got its intended name from:

  • This code arose from the dust of Permutation City