TheTerrorist_75 Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 If you visit any PHP Bulletin Boards you may see "This site is defaced!!! This site is defaced!!! NeverEverNoSanity WebWorm generation X".Net worm using Google to spreadA Web worm that identifies potential victims by searching Google is spreading among online bulletin boards using a vulnerable version of the program phpBB, security professionals said on Tuesday. The Santy worm uses a flaw in the widely used community forum software known as the PHP Bulletin Board (phpBB) to spread, according to updated analyses. The worm searches Google for sites using a vulnerable version of the software, antivirus firm Kaspersky said in a statement. Almost 40,000 sites may have already been infected. Using Microsoft's Search engine to scan for the phrase "NeverEverNoSanity"--part of the defacement text that the Santy worm uses to replace files on infected Web sites--returns nearly 39,000 hits. "Santy.a is spreading rapidly," antivirus firm Kaspersky stated in a new release published Tuesday. "However, this does not directly affect users. Although the worm infects Web sites, it does not infect computers used to view those sites." The worm sends Google a specific search request, essentially asking for a list of vulnerable sites. Armed with the list, the worm then attempts to spread to those sites using a PHP request designed to exploit the phpBB bulletin board software. The worm is the latest twist on using Google as an attack tool, a practice known as Google hacking. It may also be the first time a program used Google to identify victims for an attack. Around 6 million sites appear to be running the phpBB software, according to a search of Google for the phrase "Powered by phpBB"--an acknowledgment appended to the bottom of any site that uses the software. "There are tons of these PHP bulletin board installs around," said Johannes Ullrich, chief technology officer of the Internet Storm Center, which tracks online threats. Initial analyses by the ISC had concluded that the flaw exploited by the worm occured in the software that interprets Web pages written scripting language PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP). That flaw was found last week. Using Google to determine vulnerable sites is not an academic exercise. The worm does exactly that: Once Santy infects a Web site, it searches Google for other sites running phpBB and then attempts to infect those sites as well. After it has taken over a site, the worm deletes all HTML, PHP, active server pages (ASP), Java server pages (JSP), and secure HTML pages, and replaces them with the text, "This site is defaced!!! This site is defaced!!! NeverEverNoSanity WebWorm generation X," according to Kaspersky. For "X," the worm inserts a number representing how far the current instance of the program is descended from the original worm release. MSN searches have found 24th generations of the worm. Google did not immediately comment on the worm, but a spokesman did say that the company had seen the information and had started to study the issue. The response, or lack thereof, frustrated some members of the antivirus community, who believed that the search giant could easily stop the worm by filtering out its search for victims. "We know exactly which searches to stop," said Mikko Hypponen, research director of antivirus firm F-Secure. "It would be trivial to stop this thing." Web sites using a vulnerable version of phpBB should upgrade, the phpBB Project site advises.A Web worm that identifies potential victims by searching Google is spreading among online bulletin boards using a vulnerable version of the program phpBB, security professionals said on Tuesday. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bar5 Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Thanks The Terriost_75. I just read this on another board and was on my way here to inform everyone. Glad you got the info on here.They just won't give up. It never ends. New twists everyday. I wish they would put that energy and brain to good use. Oh well, another day on the internet.Barb Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thesidekickcat Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 (edited) Thanks for the warning.So, if I read this correctly, there is no harm to the computers of those going to those bulletin boards, except the defacement replacememt text? Then it is just doing a denial of service type thing to them? Or is there a backdoor element too? I am so fed up with the people who design these things!!!!Norton has info and protection for this in their updates today.Symantec Securitiy Response ListCheck often for updates and stay safe folks.God bless everyone. Edited December 22, 2004 by thesidekickcat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kevinksmith Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 If you are using the phpBB on your site, and it is one of the recent versions, ie 2.0.x, where x < 11, go to http://www.phpbb.com/downloads.php and download the [Changed Files Only] package.Inside the compressed package is instructions on updating, which consists of more or less replacing existing files.Hope some people here can use this info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 thanks for the info. This could get much bigger... at least Besttechie is IPB. I hate the people who do this.EDIT: according the CNET News, it is now spreading through Yahoo and AOL alsoM@ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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