Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Gadgets & Tech ~.exe virus?

I have a file ~.exe in c:windows\system32 directory/folder - does anybody know anything about his, it runs at boot somehow and tries to access the internet occasionally.

I strongly suspect this is a trojan keylogger (like somebody else on the net), but there is no mention by any of the virus people and only a couple of queries by punters.

It is not helped that google can't search for the tilde character ~

I can stop the process easy enough and it is well and truly blocked from talking to the internet.

For the moment I have renamed the file to stop it being run.

It is 8238 bytes long (9K), the only times it could have come onto my computer is either through an "Adobe Reader" update or a "Mozilla Thunderbird" update (which I might have OK'd without looking too closely), nothing else was given permission to run at about the time the file was created.

The only other funny that has happened recently was Windows Installer popping up sometimes looking for a CD that isn't there and asking me to insert a vdrive CD (I do have vdrive installed, but haven't used it for ages), this happens when I try to run programs that I use all the time from the hard drive, but happens only occasionally.

Any help appreciated.

Check

msconfig

and see if its in the list to run at boot up.
You can probably get rid, run a malware program too.

Start >> RUN >>> msconfig (Type in the Run Box)

Thanks Mark - I had checked with Spybot startup tool, but YES it is there in msconfig under HKLM/Microsoft/Windows/currentversion/run

But I still don't know if it a goody or a baddy

Spybot and AVG don't recognise it as a baddy and none of the other virus companies mention it in there lists of baddies as far as I can see.

HKLM/Microsoft/Windows/currentversion/run

That's where most of the virus sit,
as it will start.

Get rid mate, if it had a job to do it would have a name simple as.

Dont for get to turn off your system restore,
as the virus can hide in there too.

Turn system restore off,
remove the virus
re-boot
turn system restore back on

delete it from the registry

reboot

then delete the file


that usually works

What worries me is what other files it has "played" with which is why I am trying to find out about it.

I hate doing a full Windows install - takes hours.

AVG was updated today, identified ~.exe in system32 as Trojan.Win32.Agent.AKSO

This is obviously getting round so watch out for it.

Though this trojan was known about Oct2008, it looks like it has been disguised in ~.exe (which is a packed exe file), none of the normal online scanners nor AVG, Spybot or Adaware recognised it as a baddie yesterday.

This nasty little b*gg*r is floating around again - I have yet to discover how it gets into my computer - it is the only virus that sneaks in undetected, it is contained immediately so can't actually do anything.

The only programs I have installed recently have been very established ones, downloaded from the program's own site or filehippo or download.com

The lastest installs/updates were Aspell (GNU spelling checker), Duplicate Cleaner update, AVG update, CCleaner update.

Forgot to check the install date of ~.exe which would have told me what it came in with. I was too quick to BLAST it off this planet.

Although AVG recognised this virus previously, it has gone undetected again so must have been reformed, it is definately the sneakiest trojan around, I do suggest checking if it exists on your computers c:\windows\system32\~.exe

If you find it delete it, there maybe some .dat file in the same directory starting with _c these seem to be its data collection files, I have read about them but never seen them (because on my computer ~.exe is prevented from functioning)

more info

here - clicky

Please no lectures on AVG, F-secure, Avast, Norton etc - they ALL missed this trojan last time it came around in 2008, AVG was the first to correctly recognise it although F-secure was the first that could fix it (unbelievably, before it could detect it).

perhaps you should try the free version of malaware anti malware if Norton and the likes missed it. i had a similar virus a year back and malaware removed it completly. you can find there website here http://www.malwarebytes.org/

AVG is utter shite at best, and if you are running multiple instances of AV software it is little suprise they are failing to detect virus's.

AVG used to have a function to make a "boot from floppy or CD", but I can't find it in the latest version? I remember having to do one for a friend and could only make a floppy, but then copied this to a CD, as the friends pc didn't have a floppy drive.

You used to be able to use this bootable floppy or CD to boot the pc with, then run the anti virus programe from there, like in DOS mode. First make sure the BIOS setting is enabled (for the needed floppy or CD) as the 1st boot.

I think F-secure does one? If you can do this I'm sure it will make a better job of finding the hidden file that recreates the ~.exe file.

Hope this helps

A good little programe that gives extra info for whats running on your pc Process Explorer v11.33, By Mark Russinovich. It doesn't install, you just run it.

I don't know if we are allowed to do direct links for files but here it is if you want to try it:

Process Explorer in a zip file

It did turn out to be a Trojan, as I suspected by the way it tried to behave - it was formally identified on 4th Jan 2009, the day after I was playing with it (or it was trying to play with me!).

It concerns me that I have security very well clamped down on my computers AND I am very careful what I run on my computer (I have been an IT professional for 32 years) yet this little blighter still sneaked in TWICE now - if it has infiltrated my computer with the care I take, there must be an awful lot of computers infected by it out there.

To put peoples mind at rest, most firewalls will stop this Trojan from talking back home, BUT I don't know if Windows Firewall will, it is partly disguised as a microsoft program and may be trusted by the microsoft system, I can't find out without risking my system and having to do an 8 hour recovery, not my favourite past-time.

Do you know if you have completley "bannished" it yet?

I'm as careful as you said you are & I have been lucky upto now & never had a virus/trojan etc. Maybe I shouldn't have said that

It doesn't make any difference, on my computers it is completely blocked from doing anything. I have deleted the file and done a complete registry clean. It isn't one of these persistent little things (seen enough of those in my job, heal six files and by then another ten have got infected), it just is very sneaky how it gets on! Got to admit, I am very impressed that it has got me twice, six months apart, nothing else has ever got in.