W97M.Iseng.Gen

SUMMARY

This is a Microsoft Word macro virus that spreads by infecting Microsoft Word documents and the global template, Normal.dot.

Protection

• Virus Definitions (Intelligent Updater) July 4, 2001

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

Distribution

• Distribution Level: Low

TECHNICAL DETAILS

This virus is similar to many other Microsoft Word macro viruses. When a document that is infected with W97M.Iseng.Gen is opened or saved, the macro virus replicates itself into active documents and the Normal.dot template. Any macros contained in the documents will be rewritten by the virus.

W97M.Iseng.Gen changes the following settings in Microsoft Word:

• When a macro is run, Word will not display any prompts or alert messages.
• Auto-macros are enabled.
• The menu command that allows you to change macro settings is disabled.
• The menu command for the Visual Basic Editor is disabled.
• When you press the key combination that starts the Visual Basic Editor or invoke the macro settings command, the macro virus displays one of the following messages:
  
  Visual Basic Editor Error.
  Please reinstall your Microsoft Office Program
  
  Macro Editor Error
  Please reinstall your Microsoft Office Program
  
• When the Tools > Options or Help > About menu commands are chosen, W97M.Iseng.Gen may display some text in the Indonesian language.

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

1. Run LiveUpdate to make sure that you have the most recent virus definitions.
2. Start Norton AntiVirus (NAV), and run a full system scan, making sure that NAV is set to scan all files.
3. If any files are detected as infected by W97M.Iseng.Gen, click Repair.