Downloader.Berbew

Downloader.Berbew may arrive as an attachment to spam email, such as, but not limited to, one of the following:

• From (spoofed): Citibank Accounting <accounting@web.da.us.citibank.com>
  Subject: Re: Your credit application
  Message Body:
  Dear sir,
  Thank you for your online application for a Citibank Home Equity Loan. In order to be approved for any loan application we pull your Credit Profile and Chexsystems information, which didn't satisfy our minimum needs. Consequently, we regret to say that we cannot approve you for Citibank Home Equity Loan at this time.
  *Attached are copy of your Credit Profile and Your Application that you submitted with us.
  Please take a close look at it, you will receive hard copy by mail withing next few days.
  
  Attachment: web.da.us.citi.heloc.pif (5,664 bytes)
  
  
• From: (spoofed) E-Loan Consumer Department <consumer.support@e-loan.com>
  Subject: Re: Your E-Loan Refinance Application Declined
  Message body:
  
  Dear sir,
  
  Thank you for your recent online Refinance Application with E-Loan Inc.
  Apparently you have moved from your current home address a couple of months ago,
  so we coulnd't verify your identity with Credit Bureaus and Chexsystems. We are
  sorry for any inconvenience. Attached are scanned copies of your Home Value, Grant
  Deeds and your current Credit Profile from 3 major Credit Bureaus. Take a close look
  at it, as you will receive hard copies by usps mail in few days.
  
  Attachment: E-Loan-Appraiser-Results.pif
  
  
• From: (spoofed) Wells Fargo Accounting <wfba.accounting@wellsfargo.com>
  Subject: Re: Wells Fargo Bank New Business Account Application - ID# 4489
  Message body:
  
  Dear Sir,
  
  Thank you for your online application for a Business Account with Wells Fargo. We appreciate your interest in banking with us.
  
  In order to open a Business Account, we must receive specific credit information that is verifiable. Because Wells Fargo has no locations in your state, we are unable to confirm the credit information in your application. Consequently, we regret to say that we cannot open an account for your business at this time.
  
  Attached are your Wells Fargo Application and your Social Security File.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Sherli Chin
  Business Resource Center Services
  Wells Fargo Bank
  
  Attachment: wellsfargo.biz.jsessionid.pif
  
  
• From: (spoofed) "Loan Department" <loan@usbank.com>
  Subject: Re: Your balance application
  Message body:
  
  Dear sir!
  
  Thank you for your online application for a Home Equity Loan. In order to be
  approved for any loan application we pull your Balance Profile and Chexsystems
  information, which didn't satisfy our minimum needs. Consequently, we regret
  to say that we cannot approve you for Home Equity Loan at this time. *Attached
  are copy of your Balance Profile and Your Application that you submitted with
  us. Please take a close look at it you will receive hard copy by mail withing
  next few days.
  
  Attachment:www.usbank.com.stats.personals.balance.pif.pif
  
  
• From: (spoofed) Brian Spencer [mailto:security@fdic.com]
  Subject: fraud report
  Message body:
  
  Dear Sir!
  
  We are sorry to report that your bank account has been
  temporarily closed cause of explicit fraud activity. We are about
  to report to the police about this incident and they.ll carefully
  investigate this matter. If you.ll be found guilty, your can be
  charged up to $57,183.
  You can find all the details about this incident in the attached
  file and if you still have any questions until the police start
  investigation, please contact us as soon as possible. Sir, fraud
  activity is prohibited by the US legislation and you must note down
  that from now on your every step is being carefully traced down.
  So if you don.t want any other incidents to take place, wait for
  the end of this investigation or contact us. You can find our email
  and phone number in the attached file(password - MarH3Jl4).
  
  Faithfully yours, Brian Spencer (Chief Manager)
  
  Attachment: www.fdic.com.fraud.security.pif.zip

When Downloader.Berbew runs, it does the following:

1. Downloads Backdoor.Berbew from a remote server and saves it to %System%. The server from where the file is downloaded may vary, and one location we have seen is saher.by.ru. The file name in %syste% may also vary. An example of one we have seen is rtdx32.exe.
   
   

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   Note: %System% is a variable. The Trojan locates the System folder and saves the downloaded Backdoor to that location. By default, this is C:\Windows\System (Windows 95/98/Me), C:\Winnt\System32 (Windows NT/2000), or C:\Windows\System32 (Windows XP).

   ---

   
   
2. Runs Backdoor.Berbew.
   

Recommendations

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

• Use a firewall to block all incoming connections from the Internet to services that should not be publicly available. By default, you should deny all incoming connections and only allow services you explicitly want to offer to the outside world.
• 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.
• Ensure that programs and users of the computer use the lowest level of privileges necessary to complete a task. When prompted for a root or UAC password, ensure that the program asking for administration-level access is a legitimate application.
• Disable AutoPlay to prevent the automatic launching of executable files on network and removable drives, and disconnect the drives when not required. If write access is not required, enable read-only mode if the option is available.
• Turn off file sharing if not needed. If file sharing is required, use ACLs and password protection to limit access. Disable anonymous access to shared folders. Grant access only to user accounts with strong passwords to folders that must be shared.
• Turn off and remove unnecessary services. By default, many operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical. These services are avenues of attack. If they are removed, threats have less avenues of attack.
• If a 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.
• Configure your email server to block or remove email that contains file attachments that are commonly used to spread threats, such as .vbs, .bat, .exe, .pif and .scr files.
• Isolate compromised computers quickly to prevent threats from spreading further. 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.
• If Bluetooth is not required for mobile devices, it should be turned off. If you require its use, ensure that the device's visibility is set to "Hidden" so that it cannot be scanned by other Bluetooth devices. If device pairing must be used, ensure that all devices are set to "Unauthorized", requiring authorization for each connection request. Do not accept applications that are unsigned or sent from unknown sources.
• For further information on the terms used in this document, please refer to the Security Response glossary.

Summary