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w32.netsky
Affected platforms: Windows 2003/XP/2000/NT/ME/98/95 

Computer Associates;
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=38453

Panda: Netsky.D
http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info/encyclopedia/overview.aspx?idvirus=45205

Shopos;
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32netskyd.html
Very Good reffernce page
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/articles/bagelnetsky.html
Find out about the most recent developments, as new versions of the Bagle and Netsky worms are released, from this handy webpage.

Symantec;
http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/vURL.cgi/sctyrsp3

Trend;
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM_NETSKY.D

W32.Netsky.F

Also Known As: Win32.Netsky.F [Computer Associates], NetSky.F [F-Secure], W32/Netsky.f@MM [McAfee], WORM_NETSKY.F [Trend] W32.Netsky.F@mm is a mass-mailing worm that uses its own SMTP engine to send itself to the email addresses it finds when scanning hard drives and mapped drives. 

The Subject, Body, and Attachment vary.

Technical Details From Symantec

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.netsky.f@mm.html#technicaldetails

When W32.Netsky.F@mm runs, it does the following:

  1. Creates a mutex named "LK[SkyNet.cz]SystemsMutex." This mutex allows only one instance of the worm to execute.

  2. It copies itself to %Windir%\svchost.exe.

    Note: %Windir% is a variable. The worm locates the Windows installation folder (by default, this is C:\Windows or C:\Winnt) and copies itself to that location.

  3. Adds the value:

    "Zone Labs Client Ex"="%windir%\svchost.exe -antivirus service"

    to the registry key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

    so that the worm runs when you start Windows.

  4. Deletes the values:
  5. Deletes the values:
  6. Deletes the registry keys:
  7. If it is between 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. on Tuesday, March 2, 2004, the PC speaker will beep in a continuous loop. Each beep will be for a random period of time, at a random frequency.

  8. Scans the following file types on drives C through Z for email addresses:
  9. Uses its own SMTP engine to send itself to the email addresses it found above, sending to each address once. The worm uses the local DNS server (retrieved via an API), if available, to perform an MX lookup for the recipient address. If the local DNS fails, it will perform the lookup from the following list of hard-coded servers:
  10. The email has the following characteristics:

    Subject: (One of the following)
  11. Avoids sending to email addresses that contain any of the following strings:


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

 

The following instructions pertain to all current and recent Symantec antivirus products, including the Symantec AntiVirus and Norton AntiVirus product lines.

  1. Disable System Restore (Windows Me/XP).
  2. Update the virus definitions.
  3. Restart the computer in Safe mode or VGA mode.
  4. Run a full system scan and delete all the files detected as W32.Netsky.F@mm.
  5. Delete the value that was added to the registry.
For specific details on each of these steps, read the following instructions.

1. Disabling System Restore (Windows Me/XP) 1. Disabling System Restore (Windows Me/XP)
If you are running Windows Me or Windows XP, we recommend that you temporarily turn off System Restore. Windows Me/XP uses this feature, which is enabled by default, to restore the files on your computer in case they become damaged. If a virus, worm, or Trojan infects a computer, System Restore may back up the virus, worm, or Trojan on the computer.

Windows prevents outside programs, including antivirus programs, from modifying System Restore. Therefore, antivirus programs or tools cannot remove threats in the System Restore folder. As a result, System Restore has the potential of restoring an infected file on your computer, even after you have cleaned the infected files from all the other locations.

Also, a virus scan may detect a threat in the System Restore folder even though you have removed the threat.

For instructions on how to turn off System Restore, read your Windows documentation, or one of the following articles:
Note: When you are completely finished with the removal procedure and are satisfied that the threat has been removed, re-enable System Restore by following the instructions in the aforementioned documents.Note:

For additional information, and an alternative to disabling Windows Me System Restore, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article, "Antivirus Tools Cannot Clean Infected Files in the _Restore Folder,"Article ID: Q263455.

2. Updating the virus definitions 2. Updating the virus definitions
Symantec Security Response fully tests all the virus definitions for quality assurance before they are posted to our servers. There are two ways to obtain the most recent virus definitions:
3. Restarting the computer in Safe mode or VGA mode 3. Restarting the computer in Safe mode or VGA mode

Shut down the computer and turn off the power. Wait for at least 30 seconds, and then restart the computer in Safe mode or VGA mode.
4. Scanning for and deleting the infected files 4. Scanning for and deleting the infected files
  1. Start your Symantec antivirus program and make sure that it is configured to scan all the files.
  2. Run a full system scan.
  3. If any files are detected as infected with W32.Netsky.F@mm, click Delete.

5. Deleting the value from the registry 5. Deleting the value from the registry

WARNING:Symantec strongly recommends that you back up the registry before making any changes to it. Incorrect changes to the registry can result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Modify the specified keys only. Read the document, "How to make a backup of the Windows registry," for instructions.WARNING: How to make a backup of the Windows registry
  1. Click Start, and then click Run. (The Run dialog box appears.)
  2. Type regedit

    Then click OK. (The Registry Editor opens.)

  3. Navigate to the key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  4. In the right pane, delete the value:

    "Zone Labs Client Ex"="%windir%\svchost.exe -antivirus service"

  5. Exit the Registry Editor.

See Also:

Computer Associates;
http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=38479

F-Prot; http://www.f-prot.com/virusinfo/descriptions/netsky_f.html

MacAfee;
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=101073

Sophos;
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32netskyf.html

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