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F-Secure Virus Descriptions : Bagle.AW

[Summary] | [Detailed Description] | [Detection]



NAME:Bagle.AW
ALIAS:I-Worm.Bagle.aw, W32/Beagle.AW@mm, W32.Beagle.AX@mm

Summary

Bagle.AW is a mass-mailing worm with Peer-to-Peer spreading capabilities. It was found in the middle of November 2004. This worm is a close variant of Bagle.Z worm. Bagle.AW spreads using different subjects, email bodies and attachments. The attachment is an executable file or a script dropper with one the following extensions: .EXE .SCR .COM .CPL .HTA or .VBS. The worm can also send itself in a password-protected ZIP archive.

Detailed Description

Bagle.AW arrives in email as an executable or inside a password-protected ZIP archive. Bagle.AW can also spread with a prepended Windows Control Panel Applet (CPL) stub (see info below) or in the form of VBS or HTA dropper.

System Infection

When the worm's file is run, it copies itself as SYSINIT.EXE to Windows System folder and creates a startup key for this file in the Registry:

 [HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
 "Syskey" = "%SystemDir%\sysinit.exe"

where %SystemDir% represents the Windows System folder name, for example C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP systems.

Additionally the worm creates 2 more files in Windows System folder:

 sysinit.exeopen
 sysinit.exeopenopen

These files are used when the worm spreads itself in e-mails.

Email Propagation

Bagle.AW scans the hard drive to collect e-mail addresses of possible victims. Files with the following extensions are checked:

 .wab
 .txt
 .msg
 .htm
 .shtm
 .stm
 .xml
 .dbx
 .mbx
 .mdx
 .eml
 .nch
 .mmf
 .ods
 .cfg
 .asp
 .php
 .pl
 .wsh
 .adb
 .tbb
 .sht
 .xls
 .oft
 .uin
 .cgi
 .mht
 .dhtm
 .jsp

The worm ignores e-mail addresses that contain any of the following strings:

 @hotmail
 @msn
 @microsoft
 rating@
 f-secur
 news
 update
 anyone@
 bugs@
 contract@
 feste
 gold-certs@
 help@
 info@
 nobody@
 noone@
 kasp
 admin
 icrosoft
 support
 ntivi
 unix
 bsd
 linux
 listserv
 certific
 sopho
 @foo
 @iana
 free-av
 @messagelab
 winzip
 google
 winrar
 samples
 abuse
 panda
 cafee
 spam
 pgp
 @avp.
 noreply
 local
 root@
 postmaster@

Bagle.AW spreads itself in e-mails with randomly-chosen subject lines, mail bodies and attachment names. The worm can attach itself to e-mails as an executable file with COM, EXE, SCR and CPL extensions or as a HTA or VBS dropper.

The VBS and the HTA droppers both contain Visual Basic Script code and use Create Object function to drop Bagle's executable file to the current folder and run it. The VBS dropper drops the 'VSS_2.EXE' file and the HTA dropper drops the QWRK.EXE file.

When spreading as a Windows Control Panel Applet (CPL) file, the worm prepends a small binary dropper to its executable file. When the CPL file is activated, it copies itself as CPLSTUB.EXE file to Windows folder and then drops the worm's file into Windows System folder.

Bagle.AW uses the following text strings as subjects for infected e-mails that it sends:

 Re: Msg reply
 Re: Hello
 Re: Yahoo!
 Re: Thank you!
 Re: Thanks :)
 RE: Text message
 Re: Document
 Incoming message
 Re: Incoming Message
 RE: Incoming Msg
 RE: Message Notify
 Notification
 Changes..
 Update
 Fax Message
 Protected message
 RE: Protected message
 Forum notify
 Site changes
 Re: Hi
 Encrypted document

Message bodies are randomly chosen from a predefined list:

 Read the attach.
 Your file is attached.
 More info is in attach
 See attach.
 Please, have a look at the attached file.
 Your document is attached.
 Please, read the document.
 Attach tells everything.
 Attached file tells everything.
 Check attached file for details.
 Check attached file.
 Pay attention at the attach.
 See the attached file for details.
 Message is in attach
 Here is the file.

Attachment names can be one of the following names with EXE, SCR, COM, and CPL extension:

 Information
 Details
 text_document
 Updates
 Readme
 Document
 Info
 Details
 MoreInfo
 Message

When the worm sends itself in a pasword-protected ZIP archive, it adds the following text strings to the message body:

 For security reasons attached file is password protected. The password is <password>
 For security purposes the attached file is password protected. Password -- <password>
 Note: Use password <password> to open archive.
 Attached file is protected with the password for security reasons. Password is <password>
 In order to read the attach you have to use the following password: <password>
 Archive password: <password>
 Password - <password>
 Password: <password>

where <password> is the password for the archive. The password is not an ASCII string, but a specially created image with password text.

Backdoor

The worm has a backdoor that listens on port 2002. The backdoor code is encrypted with a password. The worm author who knows the password can connect to the computer and execute arbitrary programs. Infected computers are reported to the worm's author by accessing a predefined URL on the 'webnomey.net' webserver.

File downloading and executing

The worm tries to download and execute a file from a predefined URL. The downloaded file is saved on disk as 1.EXE and is then activated. This file is a spying trojan that is detected by FSAV as 'Trojan-Spy.Win32.Agent.bx'.

Propagation Through Peer-to-Peer Clients

Bagle.AW is capable of spreading to shared folders of Peer-to-Peer clients. It scans all available drives and if it finds a folder name that contains 'shar' substring, the worm copies itself there with the following names:

 Microsoft Office 2003 Crack, Working!.exe
 Microsoft Windows XP, WinXP Crack, working Keygen.exe
 Microsoft Office XP working Crack, Keygen.exe
 Porno, sex, oral, anal cool, awesome!!.exe
 Porno Screensaver.scr
 Serials.txt.exe
 KAV 5.0
 Kaspersky Antivirus 5.0
 Porno pics arhive, xxx.exe
 Windows Sourcecode update.doc.exe
 Ahead Nero 7.exe
 Windown Longhorn Beta Leak.exe
 Opera 8 New!.exe
 XXX hardcore images.exe
 WinAmp 6 New!.exe
 WinAmp 5 Pro Keygen Crack Update.exe
 Adobe Photoshop 9 full.exe
 Matrix 3 Revolution English Subtitles.exe
 ACDSee 9.exe

Terminating Security Software

Bagle.AW terminates processes of security and antivirus software as well as some other applications. Processes of the following applications are terminated:

 ATUPDATER.EXE
 AUPDATE.EXE
 AUTODOWN.EXE
 AUTOTRACE.EXE
 AUTOUPDATE.EXE
 AVPUPD.EXE
 AVWUPD32.EXE
 AVXQUAR.EXE
 AVXQUAR.EXE
 CFIAUDIT.EXE
 DRWEBUPW.EXE
 ESCANH95.EXE
 ESCANHNT.EXE
 FIREWALL.EXE
 ICSSUPPNT.EXE
 ICSUPP95.EXE
 LUALL.EXE
 MCUPDATE.EXE
 NUPGRADE.EXE
 OUTPOST.EXE
 sys_xp.exe
 sysxp.exe
 UPDATE.EXE
 winxp.exe
 kavsvc.exe

Uninstalling the NetSky Worm

To disable the NetSky worm, Bagle.AW removes a number of registry values from the following keys:

 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

These values are:

 My AV
 Zone Labs Client Ex
 9XHtProtect
 Antivirus
 Special Firewall Service
 service
 Tiny AV
 ICQNet
 HtProtect
 NetDy
 Jammer2nd
 FirewallSvr
 MsInfo
 SysMonXP
 EasyAV
 PandaAVEngine
 Norton Antivirus AV
 KasperskyAVEng
 SkynetsRevenge
 ICQ Net

Additionally the worm creates several mutexes with names that are used by NetSky worm. So certain versions of NetSky will not infect a system where the Bagle.AW worm is active.

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Detection

F-Secure Anti-Virus detects Bagle.AW starting from the following update:

[FSAV_Database_Version]

Version=2004-11-16_02

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Technical Details: Alexey Podrezov, Kartin Tocheva, Sami Rautiainen, November 17th, 2004;

F-Secure Corporation