W32/Forbot-AZ

Please follow the instructions for removing worms.

Change any data that may have become compromised.

You will also need to edit the following registry entries, if they are present. Please read the warning about editing the registry.

At the taskbar, click Start|Run. Type 'Regedit' and press Return. The registry editor opens.

Before you edit the registry, you should make a backup. On the 'Registry' menu, click 'Export Registry File'. In the 'Export range' panel, click 'All', then save your registry as Backup.

Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE entries:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices\

and remove any reference to any file you deleted.

Each user has a registry area named HKEY_USERS\[code number indicating user]\. For each user locate the entries:

HKU\[code number]\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Run\

HKU\[code number]\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\RunOnce\

and remove any reference to any file you deleted.

Close the registry editor.

W32/Forbot-AZ is a worm which attempts to spread to remote network shares. It also contains backdoor Trojan functionality, allowing unauthorised remote access to the infected computer via IRC channels while running in the background as a service process W32/Forbot-AZ is a worm which attempts to spread to remote network shares. It also contains backdoor Trojan functionality, allowing unauthorised remote access to the infected computer via IRC channels while running in the background as a service process.

W32/Forbot-AZ copies itself to the Windows system folder as syshelped.exe and creates entries in the registry at the following locations so as to run itself on system startup:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
MicrosoftUpdates = syshelped.exe

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\
MicrosoftUpdates = syshelped.exe

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices\
MicrosoftUpdates = syshelped.exe

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
MicrosoftUpdates = syshelped.exe

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\
MicrosoftUpdates = syshelped.exe

W32/Forbot-AZ also creates several registry entries under:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\
LEGACY_MICROSOFTCORPORATIONS\

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MicrosoftCorporations\

Services available to an attacker using the backdoor include:

File transfer
Proxy servers
Distributed denial of service attacks
information harvesting (email addresses, account names and passwords)