McAfee > Theat Center > Virus Detail Page

Overview

-- Update November 1, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/Trojan_Camouflaged_as_Halloween_Greting_Card/551-84157-909.html

This is a trojan detection. Unlike viruses, trojans do not self-replicate. They are spread manually, often under the premise that they are beneficial or wanted. The most common installation methods involve system or security exploitation, and unsuspecting users manually executing unknown programs. Distribution channels include email, malicious or hacked web pages, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), peer-to-peer networks, etc.

Characteristics

-- Update November 1, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/Trojan_Camouflaged_as_Halloween_Greting_Card/551-84157-909.html

This is a generic detection for Trojans which try to download password stealers that capture bank account information (username/password) and sends this information to the author.

Downloaders are designed to pull files from a remote website and execute the files that have been downloaded.

As it is trivial for the malware author to modify the Downloader to refer to a different website or web address, McAfee write detection routines for Downloaders which as a general rule do not include these strings in the detection routines.

This allows McAfee to write more generic detections for these threats and to proactively protect customers against future minor variants.

Therefore it is not possible to guarantee which website and/or port is being communicated with.

Also, as the website being communicated is normally controlled by the malware author, any files being downloaded can be remotely modified and the behaviour of these new binaries altered - possibly with every user infection.

Symptoms

Many of these Downloaders install other malware including viruses as well as other Trojans.

Method of Infection

N/A. Password Stealers and Downloaders are not viruses, and as such do not themselves contain any method to replicate.

Many of these additionally are mass spammed by the author to entice people into double-clicking on them.

Alternatively they may be installed by visiting a malicious web page (either by clicking on a link, or by the website hosting a scripted exploit which installs the Password Stealer onto the user's system with no user interaction.

Removal

All Users:
Use specified engine and DAT files for detection and removal.

Additional Windows ME/XP removal considerations

Variants

Variants

N/A

All Information

Overview -

-- Update November 1, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/Trojan_Camouflaged_as_Halloween_Greting_Card/551-84157-909.html

This is a trojan detection. Unlike viruses, trojans do not self-replicate. They are spread manually, often under the premise that they are beneficial or wanted. The most common installation methods involve system or security exploitation, and unsuspecting users manually executing unknown programs. Distribution channels include email, malicious or hacked web pages, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), peer-to-peer networks, etc.

Characteristics

Characteristics -

-- Update November 1, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/Trojan_Camouflaged_as_Halloween_Greting_Card/551-84157-909.html

This is a generic detection for Trojans which try to download password stealers that capture bank account information (username/password) and sends this information to the author.

Downloaders are designed to pull files from a remote website and execute the files that have been downloaded.

As it is trivial for the malware author to modify the Downloader to refer to a different website or web address, McAfee write detection routines for Downloaders which as a general rule do not include these strings in the detection routines.

This allows McAfee to write more generic detections for these threats and to proactively protect customers against future minor variants.

Therefore it is not possible to guarantee which website and/or port is being communicated with.

Also, as the website being communicated is normally controlled by the malware author, any files being downloaded can be remotely modified and the behaviour of these new binaries altered - possibly with every user infection.

Symptoms

Symptoms -

Many of these Downloaders install other malware including viruses as well as other Trojans.

Method of Infection

Method of Infection -

N/A. Password Stealers and Downloaders are not viruses, and as such do not themselves contain any method to replicate.

Many of these additionally are mass spammed by the author to entice people into double-clicking on them.

Alternatively they may be installed by visiting a malicious web page (either by clicking on a link, or by the website hosting a scripted exploit which installs the Password Stealer onto the user's system with no user interaction.

Removal -

Removal -

All Users:
Use specified engine and DAT files for detection and removal.

Additional Windows ME/XP removal considerations

Variants

Variants -

N/A