W32.Qudos

SUMMARY

W32.Qudos is an encrypted Win32 virus that infects Windows Portable Executable (PE) files that have .exe, .dll. or .ocx extensions that are in the same folder as the virus or in the Windows folder.

It is a slow infector that infects only up to 20 PE files in each of the two folders each time that it runs. Each file has a 15 percent chance of being infected.

NOTE: Definitions dated prior to July 22, 2002 detect this threat as Bloodhound.W32.1.

Behavior

Symptoms

Transmission

Protection

• Virus Definitions (LiveUpdate™ Weekly) July 22, 2002
• Virus Definitions (Intelligent Updater) July 22, 2002

TECHNICAL DETAILS

W32.Qudos gets control of the system when an infected program is executed.

It first randomly chooses Windows Portable Executable (PE) files that have .exe, .dll, or .ocx extensions that are in the same folder as the virus or in the Windows folder.

W32.Qudos infects each file only once. It looks for a "Quds" string near the entry point to see if the file is already infected. If the file has not been infected, the virus appends its encrypted body to the last section of the host file. It then changes the entry point of the host to the viral body in the last section and marks this section "is executable" and "contains code."

The virus is a slow infector. It infects up to 20 files in each of the two folders each time it runs. Each file has a 15 percent chance of being infected.

It displays the following political message (which has been partially obscured) on the 28th of September of each year:

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

NOTE: These instructions are for all current and recent Symantec antivirus products, including the Symantec AntiVirus and Norton AntiVirus product lines.

Update the virus definitions, run a full system scan, and delete all files that are detected as W32.Qudos. For details on how to do this, read the following instructions.

To scan for and repair the infected files:

1. Obtain the most recent virus definitions. There are two ways to do this:
   • Run LiveUpdate, which is the easiest way to obtain virus definitions. These virus definitions have undergone full quality assurance testing by Symantec Security Response and are posted to the LiveUpdate servers one time each week (usually Wednesdays) unless there is a major virus outbreak. To determine whether definitions for this threat are available by LiveUpdate, look at the Virus Definitions (LiveUpdate) line at the top of this write-up.
   • Download the definitions using the Intelligent Updater. Intelligent Updater virus definitions have undergone full quality assurance testing by Symantec Security Response. They are posted on U.S. business days (Monday through Friday). They must be downloaded from the Symantec Security Response Web site and installed manually. To determine whether definitions for this threat are available by the Intelligent Updater, look at the Virus Definitions (Intelligent Updater) line at the top of this write-up.
     
     Intelligent Updater virus definitions are available here. For detailed instructions on how to download and install the Intelligent Updater virus definitions from the Symantec Security Response Web site, click here.
     
2. Start your Symantec antivirus software and make sure that it is configured to scan all files.
   • Norton AntiVirus Consumer products: Read the document How to configure Norton AntiVirus to scan all files.
   • Symantec Enterprise antivirus products: Read the document How to verify a Symantec Corporate antivirus product is set to scan All Files.
3. Run a full system scan.
4. If any files are detected as infected by W32.Qudos, click Delete.
5. Replace the infected files from known clean backups or reinstall them if necessary.