CS.Galadriel Virus

SUMMARY

When an infected script is run, CS.Galadriel checks to see if the current date is June 6th, with the intent of displaying a dialog box on that date containing the message:

Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen!.

Yéni únótime ve rámar aldaron,

yéni ve linte yuldar vánier

mi oromardi lisse-miruvóreva

Andúne pella Vardo tellumar

nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni

ómaryo airetári-lirinen.

....

The date check is flawed, however, so it is unlikely that this will be seen.

Regardless of the date, Galadriel will scan the current directory (the directory containing the infected script) for uninfected scripts, and will attempt to write itself to the beginning of the first script it finds.

Threat Assessment

Wild

• Wild Level: Low
• Number of Infections: 0 - 49
• Number of Sites: 0 - 2
• Geographical Distribution: Low
• Threat Containment: Easy
• Removal: Easy

Damage

• Damage Level: Low
• Payload Trigger: June 6th

Distribution

• Distribution Level: Low
• Target of Infection: Corel Script (.CSC) Files

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Galadriel will unintentionally insert "garbage" characters into the script it is trying to infect. As a result, it is unlikely that a newly infected script will be able to spread the virus itself, or even run, without editing the script and removing the "garbage" characters first.

An infected script can be repaired using the Corel Script Editor or any application capable of editing text files. To repair a script, delete the viral code at the beginning of the file, delete any "garbage" characters, and save the file.

Recommendations

Symantec Security Response encourages all users and administrators to adhere to the following basic security "best practices":

• Turn off and remove unneeded services. By default, many operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical, such as an FTP server, telnet, and a Web server. These services are avenues of attack. If they are removed, blended threats have less avenues of attack and you have fewer services to maintain through patch updates.
• If a blended threat exploits one or more network services, disable, or block access to, those services until a patch is applied.
• Always keep your patch levels up-to-date, especially on computers that host public services and are accessible through the firewall, such as HTTP, FTP, mail, and DNS services (for example, all Windows-based computers should have the current Service Pack installed.). Additionally, please apply any security updates that are mentioned in this writeup, in trusted Security Bulletins, or on vendor Web sites.
• Enforce a password policy. Complex passwords make it difficult to crack password files on compromised computers. This helps to prevent or limit damage when a computer is compromised.
• Configure your email server to block or remove email that contains file attachments that are commonly used to spread viruses, such as .vbs, .bat, .exe, .pif and .scr files.
• Isolate infected computers quickly to prevent further compromising your organization. Perform a forensic analysis and restore the computers using trusted media.
• Train employees not to open attachments unless they are expecting them. Also, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses. Simply visiting a compromised Web site can cause infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched.