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    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Trojan Piggybacks on Windows Updater

    By
    Lisa Vaas
    -
    May 11, 2007
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      At least one Trojan virus writer is now using an integral part of the Windows operating system—BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)—to download files to already infected systems.

      Windows Update uses BITS as an asynchronous download service to fetch patches, updates and other files—and, in this instance, malware.

      Security researcher Frank Boldewin, along with Symantecs Elia Florio, discovered the technique the week of May 7 after analyzing a recent Trojan distributed via spam e-mail in Germany toward the end of March. According to Florios May 10 posting on Symantecs site, Boldewin determined that the Trojan—which he detected as “Downloader”—was using BITS to bypass the firewall and download files without firewall inspection. As part of the operating system, BITS is trusted and gets passed through without having to go through the firewall.

      According to Florio, more common methods used by malware to bypass firewalls include running a continuous thread that sends “Yes, accept” messages to the firewall window, which warns users about strange network connections; shutting down the firewall or killing its processes; injecting malicious code into Internet Explorer or other processes in the firewalls trusted applications list; and patching network drivers to disable firewall filtering.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifClick here to read about a service from RSA Security that plans to target Trojans.

      This new technique doesnt constitute a significant new threat, as the Trojan doesnt evade anti-virus products and is only using BITS as a means of connection. Still, its an interesting new development in that attackers are using a component of Windows itself, rather than having to write downloaders or updaters themselves, Oliver Friedrichs, director of Symantec Security Response, said in an interview.

      “The main impact of this particular threat is the ability to evade outbound firewall filtering,” Friedrichs said. “Thats not a new concept, … [but] its another novel way malicious code can use outbound connections.”

      Symantec, based in Cupertino, Calif., observed this technique being discussed as a means of downloading files on Russian hacker boards at the end of 2006. This is one of the first times its been seen in the wild, Friedrichs said, and its something the company expects to see more of in the future.

      A Microsoft spokesperson said the company is aware of public reports that BITS is being used by the Trojan, whose official name is TrojanDownloader:Win32/Jowspry, to bypass policy-based firewalls in order to install additional malware.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifFor advice on how to secure your network and applications, as well as the latest security news, visit Ziff Davis Internets Security IT Hub.

      However, Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., says the bypass relies on TrojanDownloader:Win32/Jowspry already being present on the system—in other words, BITS isnt an attack vector for the initial infection.

      “The bypass most commonly occurs after a successful social engineering attempt lures the user into inadvertently running TrojanDownloader:Win32/Jowspry, which then utilizes BITS to download additional malware,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail exchange.

      Microsoft recommends that any users who believe their systems have been affected by TrojanDownloader:Win32/Jowspry visit Windows Live OneCare to scan their systems, determine if they are infected and clean up all currently known variants of the Trojan. Check out eWEEK.coms Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEKs Security Watch blog.

      Lisa Vaas
      Lisa Vaas is News Editor/Operations for eWEEK.com and also serves as editor of the Database topic center. Since 1995, she has also been a Webcast news show anchorperson and a reporter covering the IT industry. She has focused on customer relationship management technology, IT salaries and careers, effects of the H1-B visa on the technology workforce, wireless technology, security, and, most recently, databases and the technologies that touch upon them. Her articles have appeared in eWEEK's print edition, on eWEEK.com, and in the startup IT magazine PC Connection. Prior to becoming a journalist, Vaas experienced an array of eye-opening careers, including driving a cab in Boston, photographing cranky babies in shopping malls, selling cameras, typography and computer training. She stopped a hair short of finishing an M.A. in English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She earned a B.S. in Communications from Emerson College. She runs two open-mic reading series in Boston and currently keeps bees in her home in Mashpee, Mass.
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