Kaspersky Lab Implements Treatment For MBR Rootkit

Kaspersky Lab, a developer of secure content management solutions, has implemented detection and treatment for a new variant of a Master Boot Record (MBR) rootkit.

The new variant of Sinowal, a malicious program that is capable of hiding its presence in the system by infecting the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the hard drive, was detected by the company’s experts at the end of March 2009.

Throughout 2008, Kaspersky Lab’s analysts provided detailed reports about other variants of this rootkit. However, the new variant has come as a surprise for researchers. Unlike earlier versions, the new modification, Backdoor.Win32.Sinowal, penetrates much deeper into the system to avoid being detected. The stealth method used in this variant hooks device objects at the operating system’s lowest level.

This is the first time cybercriminals have used such sophisticated technologies. Once the bootkit penetrates the system, it conceals the payload’s activities, which are designed to steal user data and various account details.

According to Kaspersky Lab’s experts, over the last month, the bootkit has been actively spreading from a number of malicious sites that exploit Neosploit vulnerabilities. In particular, it can penetrate a system via a vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader that allows a malicious PDF file to be downloaded without the user’s knowledge.

Implementing detection and treatment for the bootkit, which is still spreading throughout the Internet, is among the most difficult tasks that antivirus specialists have faced for a number of years. Kaspersky Lab was among the first antivirus vendors to incorporate both detection and successful treatment for the new Sinowal modification in its personal antivirus solutions.

To check whether the bootkit has infected a computer, users must update their antivirus databases and perform a complete system scan. If the bootkit is detected, the computer will need to be rebooted during the treatment process.

Kaspersky Lab specialists also recommend users to install all the necessary patches to close vulnerabilities in Acrobat Reader ( http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-04.html ) and any browsers that they use.