SDBot raises IM security concerns

Next popular attack vector?

By Robert Lemos, SecurityFocus

The latest variant of SDBot spreads through America Online instant messaging software (AIM) and installs surreptitious remote control software on victims' computers, focusing the media on security experts' concerns that instant messaging will become the next popular vector for these programs.
The program - known as W32.Loxbot.B - infects systems after a victim clicks on a link that seemingly comes from an acquaintance listed on the victim's AIM buddy list. The software downloads and installs remote administration software and connects back to one of two IRC servers to await further commands. The added load on the operating system can slow a computer's response time significantly, according to security firms' technical advisories. The bot is a modified version of another self-spreading program known as W32/SDBot.ADD and W32.Loxbot.A that also uses AIM to infect trusting victims.

Since the Nimda worm, security professionals have believed its only a matter of time before some bot variant can spread automatically through an instant messaging application. Taking those fears over the recent infections even farther, technical publication eWeek questions in an article headline "Is IM Doomed?"
Instant messaging applications certainly have their share of security issues, and rootkit technology - such as that contained in Loxbot.A - is also improving , with some of the newer types being nearly undetectable by currently deployed security software.
Yet, computer users historically have been able to defend themselves against these threats, through education, updates and a healthy dose of skepticism, and software developers have been able to patch flaws quickly. Simple defenses and the application's popularity mean that instant messaging users are unlikely to give the application up any time soon.


From:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11...rity_concerns/

AOL IM worm roots around Windows PCs


Under the radar

By John Leyden



A worm propagating through AOL's Instant Messenger network comes with rootkit technology designed to slip under anti-virus defences. The Sdbot-ADD worm is being passed through instant messages from members on a user’s Buddy List and within AOL chat rooms.

Sdbot-ADD, the latest variant of a family of worms that is continuously modified with new components by hackers, comes complete with an adware bundle and a rootkit file, lockx.exe. "The executable provides an attacker with the capability to upload, download and monitor the infected host. Furthermore, the executable attempts to shut down anti-virus programs and leaves a backdoor on the host PC to install additional software," according to IM security firm FaceTime, which was among the first security firms to notify of the threat.


Rootkits refer to a set of tools used by crackers after breaking into a computer system to hide logins and processes under the control of an attacker from detection. Rootkits have been familiar items of malicious Unix hackers' tool kits for years but more recently the technique has been applied in the creation of types of Windows malware. In this case the lockx.exe rootkit that connects to an IRC server, awaiting remote commands from an attacker.

Sdbot-ADD also changes a surfer’s original search page to ###.eza1netsearch.com/sp2.php and installs various adware applications including 180Solutions, Zango, the Freepod Toolbar, MaxSearch, Media Gateway, and SearchMiracle. Infested machines are likely to slow to a crawl under the weight of all this garbage, FaceTime warns.


From:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10..._rootkit_worm/