Virus.MSWord.Defender

Parent class: VirWare

Viruses and worms are malicious programs that self-replicate on computers or via computer networks without the user being aware; each subsequent copy of such malicious programs is also able to self-replicate. Malicious programs which spread via networks or infect remote machines when commanded to do so by the “owner” (e.g. Backdoors) or programs that create multiple copies that are unable to self-replicate are not part of the Viruses and Worms subclass. The main characteristic used to determine whether or not a program is classified as a separate behaviour within the Viruses and Worms subclass is how the program propagates (i.e. how the malicious program spreads copies of itself via local or network resources.) Most known worms are spread as files sent as email attachments, via a link to a web or FTP resource, via a link sent in an ICQ or IRC message, via P2P file sharing networks etc. Some worms spread as network packets; these directly penetrate the computer memory, and the worm code is then activated. Worms use the following techniques to penetrate remote computers and launch copies of themselves: social engineering (for example, an email message suggesting the user opens an attached file), exploiting network configuration errors (such as copying to a fully accessible disk), and exploiting loopholes in operating system and application security. Viruses can be divided in accordance with the method used to infect a computer:

• file viruses
• boot sector viruses
• macro viruses
• script viruses

Any program within this subclass can have additional Trojan functions. It should also be noted that many worms use more than one method in order to spread copies via networks.

Class: Virus

Viruses replicate on the resources of the local machine. Unlike worms, viruses do not use network services to propagate or penetrate other computers. A copy of a virus will reach remote computers only if the infected object is, for some reason unrelated to the virus function, activated on another computer. For example: when infecting accessible disks, a virus penetrates a file located on a network resource a virus copies itself to a removable storage device or infects a file on a removable device a user sends an email with an infected attachment.

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Platform: MSWord

Microsoft Word (MS Word) is a popular word processor and part of Microsoft Office. Microsoft Word files have a .doc or .docx extension.

Description

Technical Details

This macro virus contains six macros:

Documents:  AutoOpen, Defend, Module1, Module2, Module3, Module4
NORMAL.DOT: FileSaveAs, ToolsMacro, FileOpen, Defender, Module1, Module2

It infects the global macros area on opening an infected document (AutoOpen), and writes itself to documents that are saved with new name (FileSaveAs). While entering the ToolsMacro menu the virus requests for a password. The password is the same as the active document file name.

The virus disables several viruses or warns a user: while infecting a document or NORMAL.DOT the virus checks it for "Concept" virus macros and several other macros, then it deletes them. Depending on several conditions the virus displays the MessageBoxes:

Defender
ALERT! Autorunning macro (possibly virus)
detected in document. Press OK to disable
Defender
WARNING: Active macro virus found. Defender will now exit Word.
You must then restart Word and try to load the document again

The virus contains the comments:

*****************************************************************
Macro   : Defender
Created : August 29, 1995 (modified on October 1 1996)
Copyright (c) 1995 Microsoft Corp.
Description : On FileOpen, detect documents containing autorunning
macros and remove them
*****************************************************************

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