RootKit: hidden boot sector

Hey guys. So my problem is for the past few days when I turn on my laptop (or restart it) avast gives me a pop-up saving it found “Mbr:\.\physicaldrive0 Rootkit: hidden boot sector”. I delete it then run a scan but it keeps reappearing everytime my desktop loads. I looked through the stickies and attached my mbam, OTL, and aswmbr logs. I am not computer savvy so I really have no idea where to go from here. Thanks ahead for your time.

Hi,

Let me look over the logs and I will return as quickly as possible.

Hi,

Looks like you have a TDL4 infection.

Please double click the aswMBR icon to run it.
Vista and Windows 7 users right click the icon and choose “Run as administrator”.

[*]Click the Scan button to start scan.
[*]When scan finishes, press the Fix Button. Once the Fix is done, press the Save Log button and save the log to your desktop. You need to reboot your computer when its done before you do anything else, then post the log that will be on your desktop.


http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z454/Blottedisk/aswMBRfix-1.png

Click the image to enlarge it

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply. So I redid the scan but the “Fix” button stays grayed out. Only the FixMbr, save log and exit button can be clicked. I attached the new log just in case. Thanks.

Hi,

Ok…

Please download TDSSKiller

[*]Right-click and Run as Administrator TDSSKiller.exe
[*]Press Change Parameters
[*]Check the boxes beside Verify Driver Digital Signature and Detect TDLFS file system, then click OK.
[*]Click on the Start Scan button

[*]Only if Malicious objects are found then ensure Cure is selected
[*]Then click Continue > Reboot now
[*]Note: If Cure is not available, please choose Skip instead, do not choose Delete unless instructed.

[*]Copy and paste the log in your next reply

[*]A report will be created in your root directory, (usually C:\ folder) in the form of “TDSSKiller.[Version][Date][Time]_log.txt”. Please copy and paste its contents on your next reply.


I ran the program, then rebooted. I cured one file. I reran the tdss and aswmbr scans and they no longer find the rootkit. Also after the restart, avast hasnt popped up about the rootkit either. I hope this got rid of it. Is this all I need to do? Thanks so much for your quick and effective help! You are awesome!

Hi,

Rerun TDSSKiller and when you see this >> Device\Harddisk0\DR0 ( TDSS File System ) remove that and then attach the new TDSSKiller log. :slight_smile:

Redid it and deleted said file. :slight_smile:

Hi,

Good job removing that.

Do you recognize the bolded text below??

C:\Windows\tasks[b]Bomgar Task 3044499.job[/b]

Nope. No idea what it is or means. Is it bad? or the cause? ???

No I don’t think it’s a problem… :slight_smile:

Please download and run ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT). This program allows you to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed. The standard registry backup options that come with Windows back up most of the registry but not all of it. ERUNT however creates a complete backup set, including the Security hive and user related sections. ERUNT is easy to use and since it creates a full backup, there are no options or choices other than to select the location of the backup files. The backup set includes a small executable that will launch the registry restore if needed. **Remember if you are using Windows Vista as your operating system right-click the executable and Run as Administrator.

Run OTL.exe

[*]Copy/paste the following text written inside of the code box into the Custom Scans/Fixes box located at the bottom of OTL


:Services

:OTL
IE:[b]64bit:[/b] - HKLM\..\SearchScopes\{2fa28606-de77-4029-af96-b231e3b8f827}: "URL" = http://search.ask.com/web?q={searchterms}&l=dis&o=HPNTDF
IE - HKLM\..\SearchScopes\{2fa28606-de77-4029-af96-b231e3b8f827}: "URL" = http://search.ask.com/web?q={searchterms}&l=dis&o=HPNTDF
IE - HKU\S-1-5-21-2084904920-3888900989-1500926294-1001\..\SearchScopes\{2fa28606-de77-4029-af96-b231e3b8f827}: "URL" = http://search.ask.com/web?q={searchterms}&l=dis&o=HPNTDF
FF - HKLM\Software\MozillaPlugins\@pandonetworks.com/PandoWebPlugin: C:\Program Files (x86)\Pando Networks\Media Booster\npPandoWebPlugin.dll (Pando Networks)
FF - HKCU\Software\MozillaPlugins\pandonetworks.com/PandoWebPlugin: C:\Program Files (x86)\Pando Networks\Media Booster\npPandoWebPlugin.dll (Pando Networks)
[1 C:\Windows\*.tmp files -> C:\Windows\*.tmp -> ]
[1 C:\ProgramData\*.tmp files -> C:\ProgramData\*.tmp -> ]
[1 C:\ProgramData\*.tmp files -> C:\ProgramData\*.tmp -> ]
[2011/12/29 15:51:33 | 000,004,608 | ---- | C] () -- C:\Users\Alexis\AppData\Local\DCBC2A71-70D8-4DAN-EHR8-E0D61DEA3FDF.ini
[2012/04/10 15:38:27 | 000,000,686 | -H-- | C] () -- C:\Windows\tasks\Bomgar Task 3044499.job

:Files
ipconfig /flushdns /c

:Commands
[purity]
[emptytemp]
[start explorer]
[Reboot]

[*]Then click the Run Fix button at the top
[*]Let the program run unhindered, reboot when it is done
[*]Then run a new scan and post a new OTL log ( don’t check the boxes beside LOP Check or Purity this time )


I did the run fix, rebooted then did a new scan. Heres the log. Hope everythings going good.

Hi,

So far so good. :slight_smile:

Malwarebytes

I see that you have Malwarebytes already on your computer. Please open Malwarebytes, update it and then run a Quick Scan. Save the log that is created for your next reply.

ESET Online Scanner:

Note: You can use either Internet Explorer or Mozilla FireFox for this scan. You will however need to disable your current installed Anti-Virus, how to do so can be read here.

Vista users: You will need to to right-click on the either the IE or FF icon in the Start Menu or Quick Launch Bar on the Taskbar and select Run as Administrator from the context menu.

[*]Please go here then click on:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/Dakeyras_album2/EOLS1.gif

[*]

Note: If using Mozilla Firefox you will need to download esetsmartinstaller_enu.exe when prompted then double click on it to install.
All of the below instructions are compatible with either Internet Explorer or Mozilla FireFox.

[*]Select the option YES, I accept the Terms of Use then click on:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/Dakeyras_album2/EOLS2.gif

[*]When prompted allow the Add-On/Active X to install.
[*]Make sure that the option Remove found threats is NOT checked, and the option Scan archives is checked.
[*]Now click on Advanced Settings and select the following:

[*]Scan for potentially unwanted applications
[*]Scan for potentially unsafe applications
[*]Enable Anti-Stealth Technology

[*]Now click on:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/Dakeyras_album2/EOLS3.gif

[*]The virus signature database… will begin to download. Be patient this make take some time depending on the speed of your Internet Connection.
[*]When completed the Online Scan will begin automatically.
[*]Do not touch either the Mouse or keyboard during the scan otherwise it may stall.
[*]When completed select Uninstall application on close if you so wish, make sure you copy the logfile first!
[*]Now click on:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk173/Dakeyras_album2/EOLS4.gif

[*]Use notepad to open the logfile located at C:\Program Files\ESET\EsetOnlineScanner\log.txt.
[*]Copy and paste that log as a reply to this topic.

Note: Do not forget to re-enable your Anti-Virus application after running the above scan!

In your next reply please attach the logs made by Malwarebytes and ESET online scanner. :slight_smile:

Sorry for the delay. I’ve attached the mbam and eset logs. Though the eset log didn’t seem to have any information so i also attached the list of threats it found just in case.

Hi,

No need to apologize for a delay. It’s not a problem. :slight_smile:

Those logs look good. How is your system running?

System’s running like normal. There was never any “symptoms” aside from avast reporting the rootkit. I was just worried since from the little I read about rootkits i started thinking of the worst. But it seems to be gone. Is there anything else I need to do?

Hi,

Glad to hear your system is running well. Let’s get some updates before we clear you out of here. :slight_smile:

Please download JavaRa to your desktop and unzip it to its own
folder
[*]Run JavaRa.exe (double-click for XP/right-click and Run as Administrator for Vista), pick the language of your choice and click Select. Then
click Remove Older Versions.
[*]Accept any prompts.
[*]Open JavaRa.exe (double-click for XP/right-click and Run as Administrator for Vista) again and select Search For Updates.
[*]Select Update Using Sun Java’s Website then click Search and click on the Open Webpage button. Download and install the latest
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version for your computer using the Offline version of either x86 (32bit operating system) or x64 (64bit operating system).


You have an older version of Adobe Reader. You can download the current version HERE

You may want to consider Foxit Reader instead. It may be a bit lighter on resources.

Visit their support forum
Foxit Forum

In either case you should uninstall Adobe Reader 9.3.3 first. Be sure to move any PDF documents to another folder first though.

Run one more scan with OTL and attach the newly made log to your next reply. :slight_smile:

Updated both adobe reader and java. Heres the log.

Hi,

I see that you have some remnants of Norton on your system. We need to go ahead and remove those so that Norton and Avast do not conflict with each other. Use the tool here >> ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe to remove Norton completely.

Providing there are no other malware related problems…

IT APPEARS THAT YOUR LOGS ARE NOW CLEAN :smiley: SO LETS DO A COUPLE OF THINGS TO WRAP THIS UP!! :smiley:

This infection appears to have been cleaned, but I can not give you any absolute guarantees. As a precaution, I would go ahead and change all of your passwords as this is especially important after an infection.

Clean up with OTL:

[*]Right-click and Run as Administrator OTL.exe to start the program.
[*]Close all other programs apart from OTL as this step will require a reboot
[*]On the OTL main screen, press the CLEANUP button
[*]Say Yes to the prompt and then allow the program to reboot your computer.


Any of the logs that you created for use in the forums or remaining tools that have not yet been removed can be deleted so they aren’t cluttering up your desktop.

Here are some tips to reduce the potential for spyware infection in the future:

1. Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:

[*]From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
[*]Click once on the Security tab
[*]Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
[*]Click once on the Custom Level button.
[*]Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
[*]Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
[*]Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
[*]Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
[*]Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
[*]Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
[*]When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
[*]If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
[*]Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

2. Enable Protected Mode in Internet Explorer. This helps Windows Vista users stay more protected from attack by running Internet Explorer with restricted privileges as well as reducing the ability to write, alter or destroy data on your system or install malicious code. To make sure this is running follow these steps:
[*]Open Internet Explorer
[*]Click on Tools > Internet Options
[*]Press Security tab
[*]Select Internet zone then place check next to Enable Protected Mode if not already done
[*]Do the same for Local Intranet, Trusted Sites and Restricted Sites and then press Apply
[*]Restart Internet Explorer and in the bottom right corner of your screen you will see Protected Mode: On showing you it is enabled.

3. Use and update an anti-virus software - I can not overemphasize the need for you to use and update your anti-virus application on a regular basis. With the ever increasing number of new variants of malware arriving on the scene daily, you become very susceptible to an attack without updated protection.

4. Firewall
Using a third-party firewall will allow you to give/deny access for applications that want to go online. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken over. Simply using a firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly. A tutorial on firewalls can be found here. **There are firewalls listed in this tutorial that could be downloaded and used but I would personally only recommend using one of the following two below:
Online Armor Free
Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free

5. Make sure you keep your Windows OS current. Windows XP users can visit Windows update regularly to download and install any critical updates and service packs. Windows Vista/7 users can open the Start menu > All Programs > Windows Update > Check for Updates (in left hand task pane) to update these systems. Without these you are leaving the back door open.

6. WOT (Web of Trust) As “Googling” is such an integral part of internet life, this free browser add on warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam. It is especially helpful when browsing or searching in unfamiliar territory. WOT’s color-coded icons show you ratings for 21 million websites, helping you avoid the dangerous sites. WOT has an add-on available for Firefox, Internet Explorer as well as Google Chrome.

7.Finally, I strongly recommend that you read TonyKlein’s good advice So how did I get infected in the first place?

Please reply to this thread once more if you are satisfied so that we can mark the problem as resolved.

I have removed the norton products and did the OTL cleanup. I’ve also followed the steps for making IE more secure. I’ll look over the other stuff as well. Thank you so much for all your help. I am extremely grateful. ;D