Virus:W32/Alman.B

Classification

Virus.Win32.Alman.b, Win32.almanahe.b, Alman.b

Summary

Virus:W32/Alman.B infects all executable files in the system. The virus propagates over a network. It also has rootkit capabilities.

Removal

Manual Network Disinfection

Alman.B is a network virus/worm with rootkit features, so it requires specific disinfection instructions:

Stop all network sharing or completely disconnect from the network
Set disinfection action for real-time scanner to "Disinfect Automatically"
Perform a full computer scan with F-Secure Anti-Virus
Select "Disinfect" action for all infected files
Files that can not be disinfected should be quarantined or deleted (select appropriate action manually)
Files dropped by the virus: "linkinfo.dll", "nvmini.sys" and "IsDrv118.sys" should be deleted or quarantined
Broken infected files should be restored from a backup
After disinfection restart a computer
After restart perform a full scan again to make sure that no infection is left
Enable sharing or reconnect the network ONLY after ALL computers are disinfected, otherwise a single infected workstation can re-infect the whole network
Make sure that all network shares have strong passwords
After disinfection set the default disinfection action for real-time scanner to "Ask After Scan" if needed

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

An earlier variant of this virus, Virus:W32/Alman.A, is also in the wild.

Variants of this family may be detected by the Generic Detection, Virus:W32/Alman.gen!A.

Infection

The virus infects EXE files that are not protected by Windows System File Check on local, removable, and remote drives. The virus does not infect files with these names:

asktao.exe
au_unins_web.exe
audition.exe
autoupdate.exe
ca.exe
cabal.exe
cabalmain.exe
cabalmain9x.exe
config.exe
dbfsupdate.exe
dk2.exe
dragonraja.exe
flyff.exe
game.exe
gc.exe
hs.exe
kartrider.exe
main.exe
maplestory.exe
meteor.exe
mhclient-connect.exe
mjonline.exe
mts.exe
nbt-dragonraja2006.exe
neuz.exe
nmcosrv.exe
nmservice.exe
nsstarter.exe
patcher.exe
patchupdate.exe
sealspeed.exe
trojankiller.exe
userpic.exe
wb-service.exe
woool.exe
wooolcfg.exe
xlqy2.exe
xy2.exe
xy2player.exe
zfs.exe
zhengtu.exe
ztconfig.exe
zuonline.exe

The virus also doesn't infect files located in the following folders:

\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMP\
\QQ
\WINDOWS\
\WINNT\

Payload

After the infected file is started the virus decrypts its body and drops two files:

%WinDir%\linkinfo.dll
%WinSysDir%\drivers\IsDrv118.sys

The DLL is the main virus component. The SYS file is a rootkit component that hides certain files and Registry keys.

The dropped DLL file is injected into Windows Explorer process and runs with system privileges.

The virus terminates the following processes:

c0nime.exe
cmdbcs.exe
ctmontv.exe
explorer.exe
fuckjacks.exe
iexpl0re.exe
iexpl0re.exe
iexplore.exe
internat.exe
logo_1.exe
logo1_.exe
lsass.exe
lying.exe
msdccrt.exe
msvce32.exe
ncscv32.exe
nvscv32.exe
realschd.exe
rpcs.exe
run1132.exe
rundl132.exe
smss.exe
spo0lsv.exe
spoclsv.exe
ssopure.exe
svch0st.exe
svhost32.exe
sxs.exe
sysbmw.exe
sysload3.exe
tempicon.exe
upxdnd.exe
wdfmgr32.exe
wsvbs.exe

If the files that belong to terminated processes are located in specific folders, they are deleted.

Propagation

To spread in a network the virus tries to connect to the IPC$ share with login "Administrator" and performs a dictionary attack on the admin password using these values: