W32.Yaha.J@mm

Symantec Security Response - W32.Yaha.J@mm

W32.Yaha.J@mm is a mass- mailing worm that uses its own SMTP engine to send itself to email addresses that exist in the Windows Address Book, the MSN Messenger contact list, the Yahoo pager contacts list, the ICQ contacts list, and files that have extensions that contain the letters HT. The email message has the following characteristics:

Subject: The email has a random subject line.
Message:
<<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>
This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. If you need to unsubscribe,
follow the instructions at the bottom of the message.
***********************************************************

Enjoy this friendship Screen Saver and Check ur friends circle...

Send this screensaver from www.truefriends.net to everyone you
consider a FRIEND, even if it means sending it back to the person
who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you
have a circle of friends.

* To remove yourself from this mailing list, point your browser to:
http://truefriends.net/remove?freescreensaver
* Enter your email address in the field provided and click "Unsubscribe".

OR...

* Reply to this message with the word "REMOVE" in the subject line.

<<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>

Attachment: The attachment has a random file name with a double extension that is composed of .pdf, .gif, .ppt, .jpg, or .doc, followed by .scr.

This threat is written in the Microsoft C++ language and is compressed with UPX. The uncompressed size is about 75 KB.

Also Known As: W32/Yaha.j [McAfee], W32/Yaha-j [Sophos]
Type: Worm
Infection Length: 25,746 bytes
Systems Affected: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Me
Systems Not Affected: Macintosh, OS/2, Unix, Linux

technical details

When W32.Yaha.J@mm runs, it does the following:

It displays this fake message:

http://home.mindspring.com/~randybell2/Yaha.J_1.gif

It copies itself as the following files and sets the attribute of the files to hidden.

• C:\%System%\Msnmsg32.exe
• C:\%System%\Nav32.exe
• C:\%System%\WinReg.exe

NOTE: %System% is a variable. The Trojan locates the Windows system folder and copies itself to that location. By default this is C:\Windows\System (Windows 95/98/Millenium), C:\Winnt\System32 (Windows 2000/NT/), or C:\Windows\System32 (Windows XP).

It may create one of the following files in the Windows installation folder:

• Bestfriend.scr
• MAtRiX.scr
• EvilDaemon.scr
• Love.scr
• Escort.scr
• NeverMind.scr
• HotShot.scr
• Honey.scr
• ScreenSaver.scr
• LoverScreenSaver.scr

It adds the value

winReg C:\%System%\winReg.exe

to the registry keys

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices

so that the worm runs when you start Windows.

The worm configures itself to run each time that an .exe file; it does so by changing the default value of the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\exefile\shell\open
ommand

to

C:\%System%\nav32.exe"%1 %*

It attempts to terminate antivirus and firewall processes. It inventories the active processes, and if the name of the process contains one of the following, it attempts to terminate the process:

• NORTON
• NVC95
• FP-WIN
• IOMON98
• PCCWIN98
• F-PROT95
• F-STOPW
• PVIEW95
• NAVWNT
• NAVRUNR
• NAVLU32
• NAVAPSVC
• NISUM
• SYMPROXYSVC
• RESCUE32
• NISSERV
• VSECOMR
• VETTRAY
• TDS2-NT
• TDS2-98
• SCAN32
• PCFWALLICON
• NSCHED32
• IAMSERV.EXE
• FRW.EXE
• MCAFEE
• ATRACK
• IAMAPP
• LUCOMSERVER
• LUALL
• NMAIN
• NAVW32
• NAVAPW32
• VSSTAT
• VSHWIN32
• AVSYNMGR
• AVCONSOL
• WEBTRAP
• POP3TRAP
• PCCMAIN
• PCCIOMON
• ESAFE.EXE
• AVPM.EXE
• AVPCC.EXE
• AMON.EXE
• ALERTSVC
• ZONEALARM
• AVP32
• LOCKDOWN2000
• AVP.EXE
• CFINET32
• CFINET
• ICMON
• SAFEWEB
• WEBSCANX
• LOCKDOWNADVANCED
• APACHE.EXE
• ANTIVIR

The worm searches for the location of the Windows Address Book file, MSN Messenger contacts list file, Yahoo pager contacts list file, and ICQ contacts list file in the registry and retrieves email addresses from those files. It also retrieves email addresses from files that have extensions that contain the letters HT. It then uses its own SMTP engine to send itself to all email addresses it finds. The email has the following characteristics,

Subject: The email has a random subject line.
Message:
<<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>
This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. If you need to unsubscribe,
follow the instructions at the bottom of the message.
***********************************************************

Enjoy this friendship Screen Saver and Check ur friends circle...

Send this screensaver from www.truefriends.net to everyone you
consider a FRIEND, even if it means sending it back to the person
who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you
have a circle of friends.

* To remove yourself from this mailing list, point your browser to:
http://truefriends.net/remove?freescreensaver
* Enter your email address in the field provided and click "Unsubscribe".

OR...

* Reply to this message with the word "REMOVE" in the subject line.

<<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>

Attachment: The attachment has a random file name with a double extension that is composed of .pdf, .gif, .ppt, .jpg, or .doc, followed by .scr.

removal instructions

NOTE: If the worm has not run, and your Symantec antivirus product detects W32.Yaha.J@mm either in an email message or when the worm attempts to run, simply delete it.

If the worm has run, you must do the following:

• 
  1. Download updated virus definitions using the Intelligent Updater, but do not install them.
  2. Restart the computer in Safe mode.
  3. Copy the file Regedit.exe to Regedit.com.

1. Edit the registry and reverse the changes that the worm made.

• 
  2. Restart the computer to normal mode.
  3. Start your Symantec antivirus software. If it does not start or function properly, reinstall it.
  4. Install the Intelligent Updater virus definitions that you downloaded earlier.
  5. Run a full system scan, and delete files that are detected as W32.Yaha.J@mm.

1. Download virus definitions
Download the definitions using the Intelligent Updater. Save the file to the Windows desktop. This is a necessary first step to make sure that current definitions are available later in the removal process. Intelligent Updater virus definitions are available at

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/defs.download.html

For detailed instructions on how to download and install the Intelligent Updater virus definitions from the Symantec Security Response Web site, read the document How to update virus definition files using the Intelligent Updater.

CAUTION: Do not install them at this time. Only download them.

2. Restart the computer in Safe mode

• 
  a. Shut down the computer, and turn off the power. Wait 30 seconds. Do not skip this step.
  b. All Windows 32-bit operating systems, except for Windows NT, can be restarted in Safe mode. For instructions on how to do this, read the document How to start the computer in Safe mode.

3. To copy Regedit.exe to Regedit.com:

Because the worm modified the registry so that you cannot run .exe files, you must first make a copy of the Registry Editor as a file with the .com extension, and then run that file.

• 
  1. Do one of the following, depending on which operating system you are running:
  • Windows 95/98 users: Click Start, point to Programs, and click MS-DOS Prompt. This opens a DOS window at the C:\Windows prompt. Proceed to step 2 of this section.
  • Windows Me users: Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click MS-DOS Prompt. This opens a DOS window at the C:\Windows prompt. Proceed to step 2 of this section.
  • Windows NT/2000 users:
    • 
      a. Click Start, and click Run.
      b. Type the following, and then press Enter:
      
      command
      
      A DOS window opens.
      
      c. Type the following, and then press Enter:
      
      cd \winnt
      
      d. Proceed to step 2 of this section.
  • Windows XP:
    • 
      a. Click Start, and click Run.
      b. Type the following, and then press Enter:
      
      command
      
      A DOS window opens.
      
      c. Type the following lines (press Enter after typing each one):
      
      cd\
      cd \windows
      
      d. Proceed to step 2 of this section.
  2. Type the following, and then press Enter:
  
  copy regedit.exe regedit.com
  
  3. Type the following, and then press Enter:
  
  start regedit.com
  
  The Registry Editor opens in front of the DOS window. After you finish editing the registry, exit the Registry Editor, and then exit the DOS window.

1. Proceed to the next section, "To edit the registry and reverse the changes that the worm made" only after you have accomplished the previous steps.

4. To edit the registry and reverse the changes that the worm made:

CAUTION: Symantec strongly recommends that you back up the registry before you make any changes to it. Incorrect changes to the registry can result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Modify only the keys that are specified. Read the document How to make a backup of the Windows registry for instructions.

• 
  1. Navigate to and select the following key:
  
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\exefile\shell\open
  ommand
  
  CAUTION: The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes key contains many subkey entries that refer to other file extensions. One of these file extensions is .exe. Changing this extension can prevent any files ending with an .exe extension from running. Make sure that you browse all the way along this path until you reach the
  ommand subkey.
  
  Modify the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\exefile\shell\open
  ommand subkey that is shown in the following figure:
  
  http://home.mindspring.com/~randybell2/Yaha.J_2.gif<<=== NOTE: Modify this key.
  
  2. In the right pane, double-click the (Default) value.
  3. Delete the current value data, and then type: "%1" %* (That is, type the following characters: quote-percent-one-quote-space-percent-asterisk.)
  
  NOTES:
  • On Windows 95/98/Millenium and Windows NT systems, the Registry Editor automatically encloses the value within quotation marks. When you click OK, the (Default) value should look exactly like this:
    
    ""%1" %*"
    
  • On Windows 2000/XP systems, the additional quotation marks will not appear. When you click OK, the (Default) value should look exactly like this:
    
    "%1" %*
    
  • Make sure that you completely delete all value data in the command key before you type the correct data. If you leave a space at the beginning of the entry, any attempt to run program files will result in the error message, "Windows cannot find .exe." If this happens to you, start over at the beginning of this document, and make sure that you completely remove the current value data.
  4. Navigate in turn to each of the following keys:
  
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHIN\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHIN\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunService
  
  NOTE: The RunServices key may not exist on all systems.
  
  5. In the right pane, delete the value
  
  winReg C:\%System%\winReg.exe
  
  6. Restart the computer.

5. To restart the computer in normal mode:

Shut down the computer and wait 30 seconds. Restart the computer as you normally would, allowing it to go into normal mode.

6. To start your Symantec antivirus software:

Start your Symantec antivirus program either from the shortcut icon on your Windows desktop or from the Start menu. If it does not start, or if you have any problems when running the scan in step 8, reinstall the software from your installation files or CD.

7. To install the Intelligent Updater virus definitions:

Double-click the file that you downloaded in Step 1. Click Yes or OK if prompted.

8. To scan for and delete the infected files:

• 
  1. Start your Symantec antivirus program, and make sure that it is configured to scan all files.
  • Norton AntiVirus consumer products: Read the document How to configure Norton AntiVirus to scan all files.
  • Symantec enterprise antivirus products: Read the document How to verify a Symantec Corporate antivirus product is set to scan All Files.
  2. Run a full system scan.
  3. If any files are detected as infected with W32.Yaha.J@mm, click Delete.