VIRUS ALERT [IE Users] got it from Banner Ads

alm4rr

Diamond Member
Dec 21, 2000
4,390
0
0
Internet advertising provider, Falk AG, was compromised by the BOFRA exploit yesterday and details about the information follows:

http://www.lurhq.com/iframeads.html

Release Date
November 21, 2004

IFRAME Vulnerability Being Exploited Through Banner Ads

Analysis 1: Virtumonde Adware

Virtumonde is a well-known adware trojan that hijacks victim browsers and forces them to display popup ads based on keywords in the sites they are visiting. For instance, a user visiting a page with keywords related to travel may display popup ads for sites such as vipfares.com, a discount-travel site with a long list of customer complaints about fraudulent practices.

***************************************************************
Warning: Do not visit any of the URLs provided below in Internet Explorer or you will become infected. URLs have spaces added to prevent accidental click-throughs.
*****************************************************************


The infection process uses from the following 8 steps:

1. as.adwave.com / asFrame.aspx?GU=http:%2F%2Fwww.matchservice.com%2F?aid=tsmatch&lid=1&PT=Match+Service&SC=YES - banner ad

2. www.matchservice.com / ?aid=tsmatch&lid=1 - redirect to 4hotstocks.com / dating.php

3. 4hotstocks.com / dating.php - uses iframe to include URL #4

4. 83.149.86.132 / header.html - encrypted jscript which uses iframe to include URL #5

5. 83.149.86.132 / indexms.html - latest IE exploit - downloads and runs exe file at URL #6

6. 83.149.86.132 / minst.exe (2,560 bytes) - small downloader trojan - downloads and runs exe file at URL #7

7. 62.4.84.45 / minst.exe (40,960 bytes) - slightly larger downloader trojan. Checks to see if system has a .gov or .mil domain name, and exits if it does. If not, downloads and runs exe file at URL #8

8. 62.4.84.41 / mmdom.exe - Virtumonde adware trojan. Other code may be downloaded, such as updates.virtumonde.com / bkinst.exe

Another banner ad server is also serving up the infections:
oas-central.realmedia.com / RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.ap.com/ringtonegoldnovio3657abb/ 288414746/x01/ExactAdv/ringtonegold_io3657a_bbringtonegold_io3657a_bb.html/ 34316435643739393431323335313630?http:// www.ringtonegold.com /?aid=exact&lid=pp
- which downloads www.ringtonegold.com / ?aid=exact&lid=pp
- which includes in an iframe 4hotstocks.com / header.html?adsw
- which is the same as step #4 above.

Despite the references to "RealMedia", the site above is not connected to RealNetworks.

Analysis 2: Trojan.Agent.EC

There is another group using the IE IFRAME exploit to install a backdoor downloader trojan known as Trojan.Agent.EC. This scheme uses the following steps:

1. freeringers . net - includes base64-encoded javascript and a javascript base64 decoder. When the appended script is decoded, it uses an iframe to include URL #2

2. [hacked site]/u/c.html - IE IFRAME buffer overflow exploit. Shellcode downloads trojan from URL #3

3. [hacked site]/u/l.exe - downloader trojan - retrieves exe from URL #4

4. [hacked site]/u/w.php - Delivers a backdoor trojan known as Trojan.Agent.EC. Listens on a random port for another executable of the attacker's choice to be uploaded and executed.

The sites above are being rotated frequently and are not just small, unknown sites - one of the hacked sites included a well-known Hollywood film studio's website.

Solution
If you are unable to avoid using Internet Explorer due to corporate policy or other obstacles, disable Active Scripting in the Internet Zone of Internet Explorer and only enable it for trusted sites until a patch is released from Microsoft. Note that this does not remove your exposure to the vulnerability, only from these threats which utilize javascript to exploit it. At this time XP SP2 is not affected due to buffer-overflow protection incorporated in the service pack. However, a new, unrelated exploit has just been released that allows remote code installs on SP2, and it is expected that adware vendors/trojan authors will begin to use it in the near future.

About LURHQ Corporation
LURHQ Corporation is the trusted provider of Managed Security Services. Founded in 1996, LURHQ has built a strong business protecting the critical information assets of more than 400 customers by offering managed intrusion prevention and protection services. LURHQ's 24X7 Incident Handling capabilities enable customers to enhance their security posture while reducing the costs of managing their security environments. LURHQ's OPEN Service Delivery? methodology facilitates a true partnership with customers by providing a real time view of the organization's security status via the Sherlock Enterprise Security Portal. For more information visit http://www.lurhq.com.

Copyright (c) 2004 LURHQ Corporation Permission is hereby granted for the redistribution of this document electronically. It is not to be altered or edited in any way without the express written consent of LURHQ Corporation. If you wish to reprint the whole or any part of this document in any other medium excluding electronic media, please e-mail advisories@lurhq.com for permission.

Disclaimer
The information within this paper may change without notice. Use of this information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition. There are NO warranties implied or otherwise with regard to this information. In no event shall the author be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of or in connection with the use or spread of this information.
 

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
Mar 8, 2003
38,416
4
0
thanks!

PS, you guys might want to add those addresses to your HOST file in order to prevent infection, redrect the address to something like 127.0.0.1
 

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
Mar 8, 2003
38,416
4
0
alright, not exactly sure if this would work for a host file, anyone know if this would block the sites, in theory if this were to be the host file? Im not sure if an ip address can be blocked using it like this.
 

slick230

Banned
Jan 31, 2003
2,776
0
0
Well, 83.149.86.132 belongs to www.synssans.net according to this :

83.149.86.132

83.149.86.128 - 83.149.86.255
Synssans
Akkerdreef 99
2723 XS Zoetermeer
Netherlands
www.synssans.net

Cornelis Zwinkels
P.O. Box 616
3500 AP Utrecht
Netherlands
+31 30 2368696
+31 30 2368779
ripe@ocom.com

Bas Spandaw
P.O. Box 616
3500 AP Utrecht
Netherlands
+31 30 236 8696
+31 30 236 8779
spandaw@leaseweb.com

MDF Aelmans
ProIP.net
Akkerdreef 99
2723 XS Zoetermeer
The Netherlands
www.proip.net
melchior@proip.net
+31 079 343 9972
+31 079 343 9973


And 62.4.84.45 and 41 are AboveNet addresses according to this:

62.4.84.41.cybertechnology.nl (62.4.84.41)

62.4.64.0 - 62.4.95.255
PROVIDER
AboveNet

DomainMaster AboveNet
AboveNet Deutschland GmbH
Eschborner Landstrasse 112
60489 FRANKFURT /M
Germany
+49 69 90554 0
+49 69 90554 111
lir-l@abovenet.de

Albrecht W Kraas
AboveNet Deutschland GmbH
Eschborner Landstrasse 112
D-60489 Frankfurt
Germany
+49 69 90554 0
+49 69 90554 111
domain-l@abovenet.de


So can't we just put www.synssans.net and 62.4.84.41.cybertechnology.nl and 62.4.84.45.cybertechnology.nl in our hosts file? Will that work?


 

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
Mar 8, 2003
38,416
4
0
Originally posted by: slick230
So can't we just put www.synssans.net and 62.4.84.41.cybertechnology.nl and 62.4.84.45.cybertechnology.nl in our hosts file? Will that work?

should, in theory, unless you think that it calls for that specific IP address and not the name.... Does it still look to the host file if it is a specific IP address? I dont know

I could make a registry patch to add those sites to a restricted IE Zone for the IP address, but i will have to do a little research before i make this....
 

BriGy86

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2004
4,537
1
91
hi, i figured i would post this here instead of making a new thread that would take up space,

but i need to do a presentation on spyware and what not, i figured i would focus mostly on what types of things ad-aware can find, so i was wondering if i could get details on regestry keys and values and what they are exactly for, and if you have a link to info like this that would be just as good.

thank you, and thanks for the heads up on those banner ads
 

alm4rr

Diamond Member
Dec 21, 2000
4,390
0
0
the adaware page has pages on each different type of spyware
if you find some on your computer, you can adaware look it up for you and tell u about it by presenting you with one of their web pages
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
alright, not exactly sure if this would work for a host file, anyone know if this would block the sites, in theory if this were to be the host file? Im not sure if an ip address can be blocked using it like this.

I don't think IP addresses will work in the hosts file trick.

Based on the information in the original post, you could make one that looks like this:
 

BriGy86

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2004
4,537
1
91
Originally posted by: alm4rr
the adaware page has pages on each different type of spyware
if you find some on your computer, you can adaware look it up for you and tell u about it by presenting you with one of their web pages

so i have to find spyware in order to get to this page?
 

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
Mar 8, 2003
38,416
4
0
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
alright, not exactly sure if this would work for a host file, anyone know if this would block the sites, in theory if this were to be the host file? Im not sure if an ip address can be blocked using it like this.

I don't think IP addresses will work in the hosts file trick.

Based on the information in the original post, you could make one that looks like this:

cool, thanks for the info. But could we do this through a registry patch and add those pages and ip addresses to IE restricted zones in order to keep it from happening, i was thinking something like this

 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
alright, not exactly sure if this would work for a host file, anyone know if this would block the sites, in theory if this were to be the host file? Im not sure if an ip address can be blocked using it like this.

I don't think IP addresses will work in the hosts file trick.

Based on the information in the original post, you could make one that looks like this:

True, the hosts file only provides a static mapping from hostnames to addresses.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
alright, not exactly sure if this would work for a host file, anyone know if this would block the sites, in theory if this were to be the host file? Im not sure if an ip address can be blocked using it like this.

I don't think IP addresses will work in the hosts file trick.

Based on the information in the original post, you could make one that looks like this:

cool, thanks for the info. But could we do this through a registry patch and add those pages and ip addresses to IE restricted zones in order to keep it from happening, i was thinking something like this

I think playing with the registry if you're not an expert like you and me (;)) is dangerous. The HOSTS trick is easy and just a text file.

Another idea is to enter in those hosts and IP addresses into your personal firewall software to deny traffic to/from them. I've used that trick before at work, when spyware keeps hijacking the HOSTS file and I need a quick fix to stop it's communication over the Internet while I'm fixing it.
 

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
Originally posted by: GtPrOjEcTX
I had 2-3 PCs yesterday infected with this that I had to fix.
What antivirus product are you using? Is it staying up-to-date?

McAfee has had our PCs covered on this one since the release of VirusScan Enterprise 8.0i a couple months ago, it has buffer-overflow protections that nail Bofra whether it's got a signature for it or not. Signatures identifying Bofra as Bofra were available two weeks ago.

McAfee 1, Bofra 0 :evil:

 

GtPrOjEcTX

Lifer
Jul 3, 2001
10,784
6
81
for our 2,500 PCs we use Symantec Antivirus Corp. 9.0.x
Up to date, and it detected and contained one of the instances but the other one it couldn't quarantine nor delete it. that was a fun one. on a director's pc even! :)