KeyPanic.Trojan

SUMMARY

When this Trojan horse program is run, it remaps your keyboard. When you type, an alternate message is displayed on the computer monitor.

Protection

• Virus Definitions (Intelligent Updater) November 30, 2000

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
• Modifies Files: Registry

Distribution

• Distribution Level: Low

TECHNICAL DETAILS

This Trojan arrives in an email attachment. The name of the attachment changes, but "funny" usually is part of it. Superfunny.exe and Sofunny.exe are two examples that have been reported.

KeyPanic.Trojan does the following:

• When you type, an alternate message is displayed, for example:
  
  I am so f__king gay.
  
  NOTE: Other offensive messages have been reported.
  
• It creates the Datcheck.exe file in the WindowsSystem folder.
• It modifies the Windows registry, so that the Trojan is run when Windows starts.

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.

REMOVAL

To remove the Datcheck.exe file and restore keyboard function, you need to:

1. Start the computer in Safe mode.
2. Enable "Show all files."
3. Find and delete the Datcheck.exe or other Datcheck file.
4. Remove the Datcheck.exe from the Run key of the Windows registry.

For detailed instructions on how to do this, see the sections that follow.

To start the computer in Safe mode:

• If you are running Windows 95:
  1. Exit all programs, and then shut down the computer. If the computer will not shut down normally, then proceed to the next step.
  2. Turn off the computer, and then wait 30 seconds. You must turn off the computer to remove the virus from memory. Do not use the Reset button.
  3. Turn on the computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press F8.
  4. Press the number that corresponds with Safe mode, and then press Enter.
  5. Allow the computer to start in Safe mode. This could take some time.
  6. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.
  7. Type some sample text to see whether you have regained control of the keyboard.
     • If you can enter text, then proceed to the next section titled To enable show all files.
     • If you cannot enter text, and the obscene messages is still displayed, then skip to the section titled Removal using only the mouse.
• If you are running Windows 98:
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.
  3. Click the Tools menu, and then System Configuration Utility.
  4. Click the General tab, and then click Advanced.
  5. Check Enable Startup Menu, click OK, and then click OK again.
  6. Exit all programs, and then shut down the computer. If the computer will not shut down normally, then proceed to the next step.
  7. Turn off the computer, and then wait 30 seconds. You must turn off the computer to remove the virus from memory. Do not use the Reset button.
  8. Turn on the computer, and then wait for the menu.
  9. Press the number for Safe mode, and then press Enter.
  10. Allow the computer to start in Safe mode. This could take some time.
  11. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.
  12. Type some sample text to see if you have regained control of the keyboard.
      • If you can enter text, go on to the next section titled Enable Show all files.
      • If you cannot enter text, and the obscene messages is still displayed, then skip to the section titled To remove the Datcheck.exe file, and restore keyboard function using only the mouse.

To enable "Show all files:"
Follow these steps to make sure that Windows is set to show all files:

1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. Click the View menu, and then click Options or Folder options.
3. Click the View tab, and uncheck, if necessary, Hide file extensions for known file types.
4. Click Show all files, and then click OK.

To find and delete the Datcheck.exe file:
Follow these steps to locate and delete the Datcheck file:

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders. The Find: All Files window appears.
2. Make sure that "Look in" is set to (C:) and that "Include subfolders" is checked.
3. In the Named box, type the following and then click Find Now:
   
   datcheck.*
   
4. In the Results pane, select any Datcheck.exe files (or Datcheck files with other extensions) that are found, press Delete, and then click Yes to confirm.
5. Do one of the following:
   • If you can delete the file or files, then proceed to the next step.
   • If you cannot delete the file or files, and you see the message, "Cannot delete Datcheck.exe: The specified file is being used by windows," then you must do the following:
     1. Skip to and complete the instructions in the section To edit the registry.
     2. Restart the computer.
     3. Return to the beginning of this section, and then start over with step 1.
6. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Windows desktop, and then click Empty Recycle Bin.

To edit the registry:

CAUTION: We strongly recommend that you back up the system registry before making any changes to it. Incorrect changes to the registry may result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Please make sure that you modify only the keys specified. Please see the document How to back up the Windows 95/98/NT registry before proceeding.

1. Click Start, and then click Run. The Run dialog box appears.
2. Type regedit and then click OK. The Registry Editor opens.
3. Navigate to and select the following subkey:
   
   HKey_Local_MachineSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
   
4. In the right pane, select the following value:
   
   DATCHECK "C:WINDOWSSYSTEMDATCHECK.EXE"
   
5. Press Delete, and then click Yes to confirm.
6. Click the Registry menu, and then click Exit to save the changes and close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart the computer.

To remove the Datcheck.exe file, and restore keyboard function using only the mouse:
Use this removal procedure only if after, restarting in Safe mode, you still do not have control of the keyboard.

To enable show all files:
Follow these steps to make sure that Windows is set to show all files:

1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. Click the View menu, and then click Options or Folder options.
3. Click the View tab, and then uncheck, if necessary, Hide file extensions for known file types.
4. Click Show all files, and then click OK.

To find and delete the Datcheck.exe file:
Follow these steps to locate and delete the Datcheck file:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. Navigate to the C:WindowsSystem folder and locate the Datcheck.exe file.
   
   NOTE: If Windows is installed to a different location, then make the appropriate substitution.
   
3. Select the Datcheck.exe file, press Delete, and then click Yes to confirm.
4. Close Windows Explorer
5. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Windows desktop, and then click Empty Recycle Bin.
6. Restart the computer.

To edit the registry:
Follow these steps to remove the entry that was added to the registry:

CAUTION: We strongly recommend that you back up the system registry before making any changes to it. Incorrect changes to the registry may result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Please make sure that you modify only the keys specified. Please see the document How to back up the Windows 95/98/NT registry before proceeding.

1. Click Start, and then click Run. The Run dialog box appears.
2. Type regedit and then click OK. The Registry Editor opens.
3. Navigate to and select the following subkey:
   
   HKey_Local_MachineSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
   
4. In the right pane, select the following value:
   
   DATCHECK "C:WINDOWSSYSTEMDATCHECK.EXE"
   
5. Press Delete, and then click Yes to confirm.
6. Click the Registry menu, and then click Exit to save the changes and close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart the computer.