External HDD Scanning, Possible Ramnit (not sure of the type)

Hey guys so my old external 1TB may have a ramnit on it im not 100% sure. I had a old pc backup located on it and i am unsure of the many options i could do to make sure its clean. Theres the casual plug it in and scan it with MSE or something like that but i don't want any files infected during this time. I have crated a system restore point as a backup but i'm not 100% sure how i am going to go with this

I would like to see which files are infected and if needed, replace them with clean versions.

The ways i have thought about doing this are
1. Update MSE and use that in conjunction with malware bytes to scan during normal or safe mode windows.
2. Get an anti virus rescue disk (although im not sure which ones let you scan external HDD's and if they even let you quarantine or check the files)
3. Use something like Ubuntu a few others suggested and download a AV called Clam or something like that.

Thoughts and your choices would be helpful. Thanks

MoxieMomma said:

Hi:

If you really think the external HDD is infected with the ramnit worm, I would not take the risk of connecting it to my system. I don't think having a System Restore Point will protect you.
Others may know better than I, but I'm not sure there's a SAFE way to mount that drive to your Windows system.
(Perhaps one of the options you mention outside Windows might work, but YIKES, I don't think I would chance it.)

https://www.microsoft.com/security/p...Win32%2FRamnit
https://www.symantec.com/security_re...011922-2056-99
https://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/virus_w32_ramnit.shtml
Ramnit Botnet Returns | SecurityWeek.Com

Probably the safest plan involves a sledge hammer....?

Perhaps someone else has better advice,
MM

Yeah that sledgehammer aint happening amusing as it is.
I think regardless like ramnit it has to be executed in the first place, if i don't touch the EXE it shouldn't infect my system but people have argued about things like that.
Thanks for your opinion though.

Anyone else with ideas?

[QUOTE=DonnaB;3281151]Hi MajorFoley,

I have to agree with MoxieMomma. I do believe that if 1 file is infected with Ramnit, I am pretty sure all the files are tainted and of no use and the external should be destroyed. If you must, some idea on how to approach how I would go about testing the external for the infection are following the low down a colleague of mine once posted to another Ramnit victim.

Win32/Ramnit.A is a file infector with IRCBot functionality which infects .exe, and .HTML/HTM files, and opens a back door that compromises your computer. Using this backdoor, a remote attacker can access and instruct the infected computer to download and execute more malicious files. The infected .HTML or .HTM files may be detected as Virus:VBS/Ramnit.A. Win32/Ramnit.A!dll is a related file infector often seen with this infection. It too has IRCBot functionality which infects .exe, .dll and .HTML/HTM files and opens a back door that compromises your computer. This component is injected into the default web browser by Worm:Win32/Ramnit.A which is dropped by a Ramnit infected executable file.

-- Note: As with most malware infections, the threat name may be different depending on the anti-virus or anti-malware program which detected it. Each security vendor uses their own naming conventions to identify various types of malware.

• Understanding virus names
• Threat aliases for Win32/Ramnit.A

With this particular infection the safest solution and only sure way to remove it effectively is to reformat and reinstall the OS.

Why? The malware injects code in legitimate files similar to the Virut virus and in many cases the infected files (which could number in the thousands) cannot be disinfected properly by your anti-virus. When disinfection is attempted, the files often become corrupted and the system may become unstable or irreparable. The longer Ramnit.A remains on a computer, the more files it infects and corrupts so the degree of infection can vary.

Ramnit is commonly spread via a flash drive (usb, pen, thumb, jump) infection where it copies Worm:Win32/Ramnit.A with a random file name. The infection is often contracted by visiting remote, crack and keygen sites. These type of sites are infested with a smörgåsbord of malware and a major source of system infection.

In my opinion, Ramnit.A is not effectively disinfectable, so your best option is to perform a full reformat as there is no guarantee this infection can be completely removed. In most instances it may have caused so much damage to your system files that it cannot be completely cleaned or repaired. Further, your machine has likely been compromised by the backdoor Trojan and there is no way to be sure the computer can ever be trusted again. It is dangerous and incorrect to assume the computer is secure even if your anti-virus reports that the malware appears to have been removed.

Many experts in the security community believe that once infected with this type of malware, the best course of action is to wipe the drive clean, reformat and reinstall the OS. Please read:

• When should I re-format? How should I reinstall?
• Where to draw the line? When to recommend a format and reinstall?

Whenever a system has been compromised by a backdoor payload, it is impossible to know if or how much the backdoor has been used to affect your system...There are only a few ways to return a compromised system to a confident security configuration. These include:
• Reimaging the system
• Restoring the entire system using a full system backup from before the backdoor infection
• Reformatting and reinstalling the system

Backdoors and What They Mean to You

This is what Jesper M. Johansson at Microsoft TechNet has to say: Help: I Got Hacked. Now What Do I Do?.

The only way to clean a compromised system is to flatten and rebuild. That’s right. If you have a system that has been completely compromised, the only thing you can do is to flatten the system (reformat the system disk) and rebuild it from scratch (reinstall Windows and your applications).

Possible ways to test the External and stay safe doing so:

Only way I can think of to check the files on the external and stay safe doing so is to install a VM and open the external within. That way if Ramnit is present, it is contained in a secure environment and the VM can be nuked.

If that is not a possibility and you insist on continuing with checking the external for Ramnit without installing a VM, I recommend that you follow Brinks tutorial to Disable AutoPlay, though I can not guarantee your safety. You can then manually access the external, right click and run MalwarebytesAntimalware on the device to see if anything is found, and if anything is found in any of the files on the external, you will be provided with the path to the file(s) which are infected.

Personally, I would kiss the external goodbye and toss it in the incinerator.

If you use removal USB devices on a regular basis, might I suggest that you install McShield2.

Using a VM would be ideal if there was freeare around, i do have a win 7 installation disk i can use. How would i make sure it doesnt open on my main system and straight to the VM though?

DonnaB said:

Using a VM would be ideal if there was freeare around, i do have a win 7 installation disk i can use. How would i make sure it doesnt open on my main system and straight to the VM though?

From what I understand, you don't need freeware. See Beginner: How To Create a Virtual Machine in Windows 7 Using Virtual PC

I have never used this technique myself and to be completely honest, it has been years since I tinkered with VirtualBox so how to is not fresh off the top of my head.

Have you ever heard of Sandboxie? This is how it works, and here is a topic where they discuss how to use sandboxie with an external HD.

You could also go with disabling Autoplay and scanning the drive with MBAM as I suggested above, though you "could" be taking chances even though nothing can be executed if the device does not run at startup. I'm lucky enough to have extra computers laying around that I use as lab rats, so it's no big deal for me to use and abuse them. I wouldn't suggest just anyone to do that though.

You could also clone the HDD on your computer prior to scanning with MBAM when Autoplay is disabled. This way if you experience a travesty you can reinstall as was before the travesty occurred.

And if you are not comfortable nor experienced doing any of the above, just take the drive into a tech shop and have them scan it for you. Might be a minimal cost involved.

Ok so i have an old PC one that im not gonna lsoe much sleep over but i have cloned it in case a family member wanted to use it in case. So im goign to take every precaution possible.
Step 1: im going to install virtualbox.
Step 2: install a copy of windows 7 i have
Step 3: make a image backup with macrium reflect

Thats the stages im at. That autoplay thing you linked. If i disable that using the registry or whatever, that means as soon as i plug in my external windows will not find it right? If thats the case how do i make windows find it manually? (i won't be doing that since vm will have autoplay on but its good for future knowledge) And by turning autoplay off on the main OS how do i make virtual box find it without the main os finding it?

Also what AV should i use along with Malware bytes?