Virus:W32/ZeroAccess

Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Virus

Aliases :

Virus:W32/zeroaccess, Virus:w64/zeroaccess, Trojan:w64/zaccess, Virus:W32/zeroaccess.b, Virus:w64/zeroaccess.b, Trojan:W32/zaccess.d, Trojan.patched.sirefef, Trojan.patched.sirefef.a, Trojan.patched.sirefef.b

Summary

Virus:W32/ZeroAccess patches a legitimate Windows system file in order to facilitate the malware's other malicious activities.

Removal

Manual Repair

Caution: Manual repair is a risky process; it is recommended only for advanced users.

The following manual removal instructions apply to Windows 7 systems with a service.exe file infected by Trojan.patched.sirefef.[variant], and with F-Secure Internet Security 2012 (FSIS 2012) installed.

  • Turn off real-time scanning to prevent interference with the removal process.
  • Boot to safe mode
  • search for the backup copy of services.exe; this copy will usually be:
    • C:\Windows\Winsxs\[directory path]\services.exe
  • Go to C:\windows\system32\ folder and rename the infected copy of the services.exe file to 'services.exe.vir' (use cmd.exe if necessary)
  • Copy the backup services.exe file from the Winsxs folder to C:\Windows\system32\
  • After reboot, open the FSIS 2012 product and uncheck the "scan only known file types" setting under manual scanning.
  • Next, run a full system scan. The product should detect items in the following locations:
    • C:\Users\[user]\appdata\local\{[numbers]}\n
    • C:\Windows\Installer\{ [numbers]}\n
    • C:\Windows\Assembly\gac\desktop.ini OR \gac_32\desktop.ini
  • The product should then prompt for reboot to remove one of the n files listed above. Note: if the n files are not detected by the product:
    • Please send a copy to the Submit A Sample (SAS) for a Labs Analyst to create the necessary detection.
    • Then boot to Safe Mode to manually locate the n files at the locations listed above. Rename the files to "n.vir", then restart in normal mode and delete the entire folder with those files.
    • If any file is locked by services.exe, first fix services.exe as above.
  • After reboot, manually delete all remaining traces of the malware by deleting the {[numbers]} folders
  • Finally, re-enable real-time scanning, reboot and run another full scan.

Notes

Many users will also find files in the Java cache being detected for Blackhole exploits; this is the most commonly dropped on the computer on visits to compromised/malicious sites silently serving the exploits. The detected files may be removed.

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

This ZeroAccess variant patches a legitimate Windows system file, C:\Windows\system32\services.exe. Upon execution, it will determine the operating system installed on the machine; it only patches the services.exe file on the following systems:

  • Windows Vista (32-Bit/64-Bit)
  • Windows 7 (32-Bit/64-Bit)

The patched Windows file will act as a loader to start other ZeroAccess components to perform other malware activities like downloading and installing additional malware components.

ZeroAccess is capable of storing additional malware contents in the Extended Attribute (EA) section of services.exe. The purpose of doing this is to hide the presence of the main malware code from detection by security software.

More

For more information on malware-patched files, see Trojan:W32/Patched.