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Type: Spyware

Aliases: PWS-LegMir (McAfee)

In the wild: No

Destructive: No

Language: English

Systems affected: Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Server 2003

Encrypted: No

Initial samples received on:  Mar 14, 2006

File type: PE

Memory resident: Yes  

Compression type: PEPetite

File size: 15,074 Bytes (compressed)

Payload 1:  Terminates processes

Details:

Installation and Autostart Technique

Upon execution, this memory-resident spyware drops a copy of itself as WINSER.EXE in the Windows system folder.

It creates the following registry entry to enable its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\Run
KernelCheck = "%System%\winser.exe"

(Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, which is usually C:\Windows\System on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\System32 on Windows NT and 2000, or C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP and Server 2003.)

Information Theft

This spyware logs keystrokes to steal critical information such as user names and passwords. All gathered information are sent to a remote user using HTTP.

Process Termination

This spyware terminates the following processes, most of which are related to antivirus and security applications:

• APVXDWIN.EXE
• ASSISTSE.EXE
• AVENGINE.EXE
• AVP*
• AVP.EXE
• CAISAFE*
• CCAPP.EXE
• CCENTER.EXE
• CCEVTMGR.EXE
• CCSETMGR.EXE
• DEFWATCH.EXE
• FILMSG.EXE
• FROGAGENT.EXE
• FYGTCLEANER.EXE
• IPARMOR.EXE
• ISAFE.EXE
• KAV.EXE
• KAVPFW.EXE
• KAVSTART.EXE
• KAVSVC*
• KAVSVC.EXE
• KMAILMON.EXE
• KPFWSVC*
• KPFWSVC.EXE
• KREGEX.EXE
• KVMONXP.KXP
• KVSRVXP*
• KVSRVXP.EXE
• KVWSC*
• KVXP.KXP
• KWATCH.EXE
• KWATCHSVC*
• MANTISPM.EXE
• MCDETECT.EXE
• MCMNHDLR.EXE
• MCSHIELD.EXE
• MCTSKSHD.EXE
• MCVSESCN.EXE
• PAVFNSVR*
• PAVPRSRV*
• PAVPRSRV.EXE
• PAVSRV*
• PAVSRV51.EXE
• PCCGUIDE.EXE
• PCCLIENT.EXE
• PCCTLCOM*
• PCCTLCOM.EXE
• PMSHELLSRV*
• PNMSRV*
• PSIMSVC*
• PSIMSVC.EXE
• RAVMON.EXE
• RAVMOND.EXE
• RFWMAIN.EXE
• RFWSERVICE
• RFWSRV.EXE
• RSCCENTER*
• RSRAVMON*
• RTVSCAN.EXE
• SRVLOAD.EXE
• TMNTSRV*
• TMNTSRV.EXE
• TMPFW*
• TMPFW.EXE
• TMPROXY*
• TMPROXY.EXE
• TPSRV*
• TPSRV.EXE
• TROJANWALL.EXE
• TROJDIE.KXP
• VSMON*
• VSMON.EXE
• WEBPROXY.EXE
• XFILTER.EXE
• ZLCLIENT.EXE

(Note: The asterisk (*) represents different characters.)

Affected Platforms

This spyware runs on Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, and Server 2003.

Analysis by:  Michelle Perona

Minimum scan engine version needed: 7.000

Download the latest scan engine

Virus pattern version needed : 3.262.03

Pattern release date:  Mar 14, 2006

Important note: The "Minimum scan engine" refers to the earliest Trend Micro scan engine version guaranteed to detect this threat. However, Trend Micro strongly recommends that you update to the latest version in order to get comprehensive protection. Download the latest scan engine here.

Solution:

Terminating the Spyware Program

This procedure terminates the running spyware process.

1. Open Windows Task Manager.
   • On Windows 98 and ME, press
   CTRL+ALT+DELETE
   • On Windows NT, 2000, XP, and Server 2003, press
   CTRL+SHIFT+ESC, then click the Processes tab.
2. In the list of running programs*, locate the process:
   WINSER.EXE
3. Select the spyware process, then press either the End Task or the End Process button, depending on the version of Windows on your computer.
4. To check if the spyware process has been terminated, close Task Manager, and then open it again.
5. Close Task Manager.

On computers running all Windows platforms, if the process you are looking for is not in the list displayed by Task Manager or Process Explorer, continue with the next solution procedure, noting additional instructions. If the spyware process is in the list displayed by either Task Manager or Process Explorer, but you are unable to terminate it, restart your computer in safe mode.

Editing the Registry

This spyware modifies the computer's registry. Users affected by this spyware may need to modify or delete specific registry keys or entries. For detailed information regarding registry editing, please refer to the following articles from Microsoft:

1. HOW TO: Backup, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME
2. HOW TO: Backup, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows NT 4.0
3. HOW TO: Backup, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows 2000
4. HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows XP and Server 2003

Removing Autostart Entry from the Registry

Removing autostart entries from the registry prevents the spyware from executing at startup.

If the registry entry below is not found, the spyware may not have executed as of detection. If so, proceed to the succeeding solution set.

1. Open Registry Editor. Click Start>Run, type REGEDIT, then press Enter.
2. In the left panel, double-click the following:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft> Windows>CurrentVersion>policies>Explorer>Run
3. In the right panel, locate and delete the entry:
   KernelCheck = "%System%\winser.exe"
   (Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, which is usually C:\Windows\System on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\System32 on Windows NT and 2000, and C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP and Server 2003.)
4. Close Registry Editor.

Important Windows ME/XP Cleaning Instructions

Users running Windows ME and XP must disable System Restore to allow full scanning of infected computers.

Users running other Windows versions can proceed with the succeeding solution set(s).

Running Trend Micro Antivirus

If you are currently running in safe mode, please restart your computer normally before performing the following solution.

Scan your computer with Trend Micro antivirus and delete files detected as TSPY_LMIR.SL. To do this, Trend Micro customers must download the latest virus pattern file and scan their computer. Other Internet users can use HouseCall, the Trend Micro online virus scanner.