Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Worm

Aliases :

Kipis.B, Email-Worm.Win32.Kipis.b, W32/Kipis.B@mm

Summary

A new variant of email worm Kipis was found on 24th of December 2004. The worm spreads in emails that have a subject "Hello", "Happy New Year", or "Ass". This variant also does a DDoS attack against www.kaspersky.ru.

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

When run the worm creates a mutex named "KiPiSx018-AxSE-DDSxKAV" to avoid running more than once simultaneously.

The worm copies itself as:

%WinDir%\regedit.com 			

where %WinDir% is Windows folder, for example 'C:\Windows\' on a default installation of Windows XP. In effect, running "regedit" runs a copy of the worm instead of regedit.exe.

It also creates a directory

%WinDir%\security 			

and copies itself in that directory as "svchost.exe". This path is added to system.ini file using the Windows API call WritePrivateProfileStringA from the Kernel32.dll. The entry will look like this:

[boot]
Shell=Explorer.exe "%WinDir%\security\svchost.exe"
 

As win.ini is not supported by Windows NT, 2000 and XP, on these operating system the changes will be added to the Registry.As as result Windows will start the worm on every time it boots.

The worm also creates a file

%WinSysDir%\Jpg.bmp 			

where %WinSysDir% is Windows System folder, for example 'C:\Windows\System32' on a default installation of Windows XP.

The file Jpg.bmp contains the following string

BMD -:+:- zzzzzzzzzzz 			

Then the worm tries to open this file with mspaint.exe as a decoy. This file crashes mspaint.exe.

Email spreading

Kipis.B tries to locate the email addresses from the Windows address book file. Additionally, it collects addresses from files with certain extensions on all hard disks and RAM drives from C: to Z. Files with the following extensions will be checked:

.tbb
.dbx
.doc
.htm
.adb
.txt
 

The worm has its own SMTP engine which it uses to send infected emails. The messages sent by the worm will have one of the following subjects:

Hello
Happy New Year
Ass
 

The worm uses one the following body texts in the message:

Hello! baby :-)
Kiss me Ass...
 

It can also use the following faked error message in the body:

Server cannot send message.
_____________________________________________
On all questions address in a support service
 

The worm attaches itself to an infected message using one of the following names:

kiss my ass.scr
your present.scr
your screen_03.scr
myfoto_04.scr
 

P2P spreading

The worm spreads itself in P2P networks. When it locates a shared folder, it copies itself there with one of the following names:

Nude Britney Spears.scr
Nude Pic_07.scr
Virtual Girl 2.01.com
KAV Pro 5.xx keygen.com
DrWeb 4.32 keygen.com
WinXP Sp2 key.com
 

Payload

Kipis.B creates a thread that terminates security related software.

The worm also has a backdoor listening on port 1029. With this backdoor, additional programs can be uploaded and executed.

Denial of service attack

Kipis.B creates a thread that checks the current time with GetLocalTime Win32 call. If the day of the month is below 14th, the worm attempts a DDoS attack against www.kaspersky.ru. The DDos is performed by creating a massive amount of threads that send a simple HTTP query to web server. The attack will first begin on January 1st 2005 and will cease on January 14th.