Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Virus

Aliases :

V2P1, 1260

Summary

This virus is based on the Vienna virus, but the author (whose identity is known) has made considerable modifications to it. The most significant is that the virus is now encrypted. The virus adds 1260 bytes to the files it infects. The first 39 bytes contain a simple decryption routine, similar to the one used by the Cascade virus. There is one important difference, however. A variable number of short (1- or 2-byte) instructions are added between the decoding instructions. The extra instructions do not affect the operation of the virus - they are only placed there in an attempt to prevent virus scanners from using identification strings, which makes it a little harder to detect the virus.

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

Variant:Casper

The Casper virus is created by modifying the source code to V2P1. It contains the following text.

Hi! I'm Casper The Virus, And On April The 1st I'm Gonna
Fuck Up Your Hard Disk REAL BAD! In Fact It Might Just
Be Impossible To Recover! How's That Grab Ya! [GRIN] 		

The virus will indeed activate on April 1st and try to format the boot sector, with incorrect parameters. The code seems to contain an error, though.

Variant:V2P2

By the same author as V2P1, the only significant difference is that the length is now variable.

Variant:V2P6

The last virus in this series. It uses a much more complex self-modifying encryption method.