McAfee > Theat Center > Virus Detail Page

Overview

-- Update August 24, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/news/59716,web-hosting-firm-harbours-virus.aspx

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 August 24, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/news/59716,web-hosting-firm-harbours-virus.aspx

This detection covers droppers for PWS-WoW and PWS-Wow.dll

Droppers are files which contain other binaries within their body. They act like a self-extracting ZIP file - taking the files stored inside and then installing them on the affected machine.

PWS-WoW.dr will attempt to drop Password Stealers which attempts to steal login credentials for the World of Warcraft game and sends it to the trojan author.

Symptoms

Many of these Droppers install files which are already detected by McAfee, but the Dropper itself is not yet detected (it's a new "package" which needs top-level detection.

In these circumstances, where multiple repeated alerts are being received by the client with a different detection name, looking for further files on the local system which may be a dropper can resolve the issue.

Method of Infection

N/A. Droppers are not viruses, and as such do not themselves contain any method to replicate. However they may themselves be downloaded by other viruses and/or Trojans to be installed on the user's system.

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 Dropper 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 August 24, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/news/59716,web-hosting-firm-harbours-virus.aspx

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 August 24, 2007 --
The risk assessment of this threat has been updated to Low-Profiled due to media attention at:
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/news/59716,web-hosting-firm-harbours-virus.aspx

This detection covers droppers for PWS-WoW and PWS-Wow.dll

Droppers are files which contain other binaries within their body. They act like a self-extracting ZIP file - taking the files stored inside and then installing them on the affected machine.

PWS-WoW.dr will attempt to drop Password Stealers which attempts to steal login credentials for the World of Warcraft game and sends it to the trojan author.

Symptoms

Symptoms -

Many of these Droppers install files which are already detected by McAfee, but the Dropper itself is not yet detected (it's a new "package" which needs top-level detection.

In these circumstances, where multiple repeated alerts are being received by the client with a different detection name, looking for further files on the local system which may be a dropper can resolve the issue.

Method of Infection

Method of Infection -

N/A. Droppers are not viruses, and as such do not themselves contain any method to replicate. However they may themselves be downloaded by other viruses and/or Trojans to be installed on the user's system.

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 Dropper 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