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Press Release
New IM Worm Spreads Rootkits and Trojans to AOL Instant Messenger Users,
Creating Sophisticated Botnet
FaceTime Security Labs researchers discover stealthy worm with unpredictable
behavior opening a pipeline to deliver a variety of infections
FOSTER CITY, CALIF. - September 18, 2006 - Research experts at FaceTime
Security Labs™, the threat research division of IM and greynet security leader
FaceTime Communications, today identified and reported a new worm known as
W32.pipeline that is propagating over AOL Instant Messenger. The worm delivers
an executable file disguised as a JPEG, which in turn calls out to various host
computers that download a variety of infection files including rootkits and
Trojans that may further propagate the worm through the user's AIM Buddy List.
FaceTime researchers believe that the ultimate goal of the W32.pipeline is to
create a sophisticated botnet that can be used for a range of malicious
purposes.
Once the user's PC is infected, it becomes part of a botnet and is under
complete control of the hacker to use for a variety of purposes that could
include relaying SPAM, performing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks
on other computers or committing financial fraud against online advertisers -
commonly called click-fraud. In addition, the potential is high for loss of
sensitive personal data stored on the user's PC.
Like many IM worms, W32.pipeline first appears as an instant message from a
familiar contact, luring users into clicking on a link with a contextual
phrase. The IM message "hey would it okay if i upload this picture of you to my
blog?" downloads a command file called image18.com, which is disguised as a
JPEG. Running the file results in csts.exe being created in the user's system32
folder, part of the Windows operating system.
The infection has the potential to call, via the Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
channel, numerous other files that are constantly being updated. Depending on
the files downloaded, the infection may create an unwanted service named RPCDB,
open up SMTP port 25 (used for email) and attempt to connect to a file upload
site. In addition, some files attempt to exploit ADS (alternate data streams).
Users may also potentially end up with a rootkit installed on their PC as a
result of this chain of infections.
Once the user's PC is infected and under
control of the botnet, it can be used to propagate the worm to other users
using the same highly refined contextual message, for example "hey is it
alright if i put this picture of you on my egallery album? " which will
download another command file, again disguised as a JPEG, on additional
computers.
FaceTime researchers have noted that this botnet demonstrates much
more sophisticated characteristics than any they have seen before, including
the ability to authorize only specific IRC clients to log in and manipulate the
botnet.
"The emphasis for this latest worm is not so much on the files that are
delivered to the users' computers, but rather on the way these files are
deposited onto the system," said Chris Boyd, director of malware research for
FaceTime Security Labs. "Previous IM attacks have tended to focus on the damage
done by the files, with little thought on the method of delivery, save for the
quickest way to get those files onto a PC. Here, the motivation for the bad
guys seems to be in lining up as many 'install chains' as possible to insure a
consistent pipeline that can be controlled by their rogue botnet."
Boyd and the FaceTime research team offer detailed descriptions of various
scenarios resulting from the W32.pipeline worm at http://blog.spywareguide.com.
Who is affected: Users of AOL instant messaging service
Threat Type: Worm / blended
Risk Level: High
How to protect against this threat
The initial file has the potential to infect
AOL's 80 million users, and users can protect themselves by not clicking on
links sent to them by other users, even if users appear on their contact list.
Currently, most commonly used anti-virus programs do not provide protection
from W32.pipelineworm.
Companies that use FaceTime Enterprise Edition and IMAuditor and have
auto-update features activated are automatically protected against this threat.
FaceTime also recommends activating the Day Zero Defense System within
IMAuditor. The system utilizes anomaly detection techniques to analyze multiple
characteristics of IM-borne worms and other malicious code against normal
behavior, and provides patent-pending protection against many IM threats - in
addition to traditional security signatures. FaceTime RTGuardian customers are
automatically protected if they have auto update features enabled. FaceTime's
X-Cleaner customers (formerly XBlock) should download the latest update and
scan their PC for the worm.
About FaceTime Communications
FaceTime enables the safe and productive use of greynets like instant
messaging, VoIP, web conferencing and P2P file sharing. FaceTime Security Labs
delivers the industry's first IMPact Index, which assesses "point-in-time"
risks posed by viruses, worms and other malware propagating through greynet
applications. FaceTime's award-winning solutions are used by more than 800
customers, among them nine of the ten largest U.S. banks. FaceTime supports or
has strategic partnerships with all leading public and private IM network
providers, including AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, IBM, Reuters, Bloomberg,
and Jabber.
FaceTime is headquartered in Foster City, California. For more information visit http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-FACE.
PR Contact:
Emily Chamberlin
650-762-2945
echamberlin@ar-edelman.com
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