Lame attempt to disguise viruses as MS security update

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/22347.html

By John Leyden
Posted: 18/10/2001 at 16:56 GMT

It's hardly likely to fool anyone but virus writers have once again
taken to disguising viruses in emails purporting to give security
patches from Microsoft.

First things first: Microsoft NEVER distributes patches by email, it
sends digitally signed email alerts which details where patches can be
downloaded from its site.

That aside Microsoft is hardly likely to originate an email with the
title "FW: Terrorist Emergency. Latest virus can wipe disk in minutes"
or "FW: IT departments on state of HIGH ALERT", or one of eight other
variants detailed in full here. The email, which contains an
attachment containing malicious code, will come forwarded to you with
a message along the lines of "Just recieved [sic] this in my email. I
have contacted Microsoft and they say it's real !".

Again a dead give away and anybody with any sense will hopefully have
deleted the message even before this point.

In another variant of what is been christened the Redesi worm, the
infection bearing email will come with a message such as "Kev Gives
great orgasms to ladeez!! -- Kev" or "A new type of Lager / Weed
variant...... sorted !", or (you guessed it) eight other variants.

These virus-borne emails will come with a message body along the lines
of " heh. I tell ya this is nuts ! You gotta check it out !"

In both its "Microsoft alert" or more salacious variants, the Ramen
mass mailer would be carried in an executable attachment (Si.exe,
ReDe.exe, Disk.exe, Common.exe or UserConf.exe etc.) - yet another
reason to filter out executable attachments in email.

Redesi, in both its variants, carries a nasty payload, so its just as
well it isn't spreading.

For the record, if you're daft enough to open an infected attachment
on a windows PC Redesi will use Outlook to email copies of itself to
all the contacts in your address book.

On November 11, Redesi attempts to run a payload routine which writes
a command to an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that launches disk formatting, with
the idea of wiping a victim's c: drive when he next starts up a
computer. Nasty.

Antivirus vendors are in the process of updating their software to
detect Redesi and protection is largely in place.

[ http://www.kaspersky.com/news.asp?tnews=0&nview=1&id=244&page=0 ]



-
ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org

To unsubscribe email majordomo () attrition org with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY
of the mail.