ZeroAccess: How to remove the latest version

   In my previous 2 posts I have highlighted the changes in the newer version of ZeroAccess and how to tell if you are infected, and who is at most risk. This post will cover how to get rid of this infection, and what tools to use to protect against it.

    The easiest way is to download one of many anti-virus programs, or removal tools. I always recommend ESET as they have always gotten the job done for me and my family. ESET has made a tool specifically to remove the ZeroAccess bot, one that is easy and completely free.

1. Download the tool here
2. Start the tool by double clicking it.
3. Press "Y" when it asks you if you want to restore system services
4. Once the tool has finished working, restart your computer by pressing any key.
5. You may be prompted with a security window upon restarting, click yes or allow
6. Click "Yes" on the repair window
7. Once the repair is finished, you will be prompted to restart again, do so.
8. For best results and to ensure complete removal, purchase ESET Smart Security or ESET Nod32 and run a full scan.

    As you can see, it is fairly simple to remove this virus, if you have any trouble, comments, or questions, let me know in the comments section (Don't be embarrassed, I have to approve comments, if you think it is a stupid question, just ask that I do not post the comment, and I will contact you directly.)

    The main way this bot spreads is through exploits, most of which are patched in the latest versions of the software they are designed to exploit, so make sure you apply regular updates, and don't visit shady sites. Also, I know it may be hard to refrain from pirating things like games, so I encourage you to only download "cracks" if there have been many downloads, even then, make sure to read the comments and do not download if it is reported to be infected, or not working correctly. Also remember that I do not condone pirating or any form of illegal downloads.

ZeroAccess: 9 million infected, are you one of them?

    As I mentioned in my previous post, ZeroAccess is still around and is adapting. Over 9 million PCs are now infected with this bot. Most are located in the USA or Western Europe. 33% of super nodes are located in Germany, with the US coming in a close second with 32%. A super node is an infected machine that is not behind a system like NAT so that other bots, or peers, can access it. This post will be mainly directed at how to tell if you are infected, and who is at the most risk of infection.

    ZeroAccess uses multiple install locations, so you should check all of them. The main component drops at two locations, 1 in appdata, the other in windows/installer. if one is deleted, the other is still perfectly capable of functioning. The two locations are shown in figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1
Thanks to SophosLabs

 Both contain a dll file, named "n" (the main component), which are added to startup by hijacking a COM directive. These also contain a file named "@" which is a list of predetermined peers for the bot to connect to and retrieve updates, commands, etc. These folders also have 2 directories named "U" and "L" which contain plugins and temp files.


Also, if you have windows vista or up, ZeroAccess will try to patch services.exe fortunately, it is easy to restore by running the following command:

sfc.exe /scanfile=c:\windows\system32\services.exe

Simply check for these signs to see if you are infected. If you have been browsing the web without appying recent updates to internet explorer, adobe flash, or java, scan and fix, and apply all updates.
My next post will explain in detail how to remove and protect from this virus.

Credits:
SophosLabs

ZeroAccess: still alive and kicking. Part: 1/3

    ZeroAccess is still around and seems to be growing, albeit not as fast as a month or two ago. The coders of ZeroAccess seem to have made major changes to the bot. It uses all new protocols to communicate, drops to a different location, uses different startup methods, and seems to be moving away from kernel-mode and operates mostly in user-mode in both 32 and 64 bit versions. SophosLabs goes into much more detail here

    The bot now uses ports 16464 and 16465 by the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of one botnet; ports 16470 and 16471 are used by the 64-bit and 32-bit versions of the other botnet. This shows that there are 4 distinct and separate botnets, wether they are operated by the same person or group is unknown at this time.

    The bot also drops to a new location, while it used to drop at symlink dir or %APPDATA%, it now drops at %APPDATA%, Windows/installer, or recycle bin.

    The new version, rather than overwriting a driver, it hijacks a COM object and/or patches services.exe. This seems to be a much more stable and more permanent way to do it.

    Both x64 and x86 bit versions of the bot also seem to be doing everything in the user-mode rather than kernel-mode, while in previous versions, x86 used kernel. There are still some new samples that use kernel-mode, but not nearly as many as before.


Part 2 will cover where and how many are infected and finally part 3 will be removal and prevention.
Please comment with any questions and I will do my best to answer.


Credits:
THN
SophosLabs