Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

-

Aliases :

Corner, Project virus, P98M

Summary

Corner is the first macro virus to infect Microsoft Project application. This virus infects both Project and Word and can travel between them.

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 an infected document is opened to Microsoft Word 97 or 2000, P98M/Corner.A checks if Microsoft Project is running. If it is, it gets infected.

The Word part of the virus is a simple class infector. It spreads when an infected document is closed. At this time it sets the Office 2000 security settings to low, disables the "Tools/Macros" menu and turns off the macro virus protection. After that the virus replicates to all opened documents.

Corner is not able to infect Microsoft Word 2000, unless the user has first changed the security settings to medium or low.

To infect Project, the virus adds a new blank project and inserts the virus code to the "ThisProject" class module.

When an infected document is opened to Microsoft Project 98, Corner.A infects Word application, even if it is not running.

The MS Project part of the virus is not resident, and it does not infect the global project. The virus replicates during the project deactivation (after an infected project has been opened).

The virus infects Word application by opening it and inserting the virus code in the global template's class module "ThisDocument". This process is hidden from the user and the user can't see the infection of Word.

Corner.A virus contains the following comments at the end of its code:


 'I never realized the lengths I'd have to go
 'All the darkest corners of a sense
 'I didn't know
 'Just for one moment
 'hearing someone call
 'Looked beyond the day in hand
 'There's nothing there at all
 'Project98/Word97-2k Closer

The text is from Joy Division's song "Twenty-four hours", taken from their 1980 album titled "Closer".

Corner does not do anything but replicate.