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Virus Profile: W97M/Xaler

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Virus Profile information details
Risk Assessment: Home Low | Corporate Low
Date Discovered: 7/1/2003
Date Added: 9/8/2003
Origin: Unknown
Length: N/A
Type: Virus
Subtype: Macro
DAT Required: 4072
Removal Instructions
   
 
 
   

Description

This is a virus detection. Viruses are programs that self-replicate recursively, meaning that infected systems spread the virus to other systems, which then propagate the virus further. While many viruses contain a destructive payload, it's quite common for viruses to do nothing more than spread from one system to another.

Indication of Infection

The presence of the file c:\temp.tmp and the above modifications to c:\autoexec.bat.

Methods of Infection

Opening an infected document will directly infect the local Word environment and any document opened thereafter.

Aliases

W97M.Lexar.A
   

Virus Characteristics

This threat is detected as W97M/Generic.  On opening and closing of the infected document, the virus will export its code to c:\temp.tmp.  This file is not infected.

If day is the 10th, 20th or 30th and the month is either April, August or December, the virus will modify c:\Autoexec.bat that will display the following:

NOTE!!!
***
*****
*******
*****
***
Sometimes you must RELAX.
Please, RELAX while deleting all files in C:\
*****
*******
*****
GREECE
==================================
All files deleted!!!
Now, you have a clean COMPUTER.
*******
*******

   
Use current engine and DAT files for detection and removal.

It is very common for macro viruses to disable options within Office applications for example in Word, the macro protection warning commonly is disabled. After cleaning macro viruses, ensure that your previously set options are again enabled.

AVERT Recommended Updates:

* Office 2000 updates

* Malformed Word Document Could Enable Macro to Run Automatically (Information/Patch)