"Devil's Dance" Virus (5-June-1990) Entry...............: "Devil's Dance" Alias(es)...........: "Devil","941 Virus" Virus Strain........: Virus detected when.: Spring 1990 where.: Mexico City Classification......: .COM - file: extending, RAM-resident, link virus Length of Virus.....: .COM - Files: increased by 941 bytes --------------------- Preconditions ---------------------------------- Operating System(s).: MS-DOS Version/Release.....: 2.xx upward Computer model(s)...: IBM - PC, XT, AT and compatibles --------------------- Attributes ------------------------------------- Easy Identification.: Typical text in Virus body, readable with hexdump-utilities: "Drk", "*.com". If the high- bit of the displayed code is stripped, the mes- sage displayed at system reset time can be read. .COM files: the first three bytes (jmp) and the last three bytes are identical. The file date/time is set to the date/time of the infection (i.e. multiple infected files have the same file date/time). Type of infection...: System virus: RAM-resident: infected if at the location 3 bytes before INT 21-adress the string "Drk" is found. .COM file: infected by hooking LOAD-function; adds 941 bytes to the end of the file. Only files with extension .COM will be infected. A file will be infected more than once. At first execution of the virus, all .COM files in the current directory will be infected. .EXE File: no infection. Infection Trigger...: .COM file will be infected, when function 4B00H (LOAD/EXEC) of INT 21H is called. Interrupts hooked...: INT 21H (functions 4B00H and 49H). INT 09H only for damage. Damage..............: Permanent Damage: 1. Every .COM file executed in an infected system will be infected. 2. After pressing 2,500 keys and reset= ++, the first sector of the hardisk C: will be overwritten. Transient Damage: 1. All characters typed will be displayed in a different color on a color card. 2. If reset=++ is pressed, the following message is displayed: "Have you ever danced with" "the devil under the weak light of the moon? " "Pray for your disk! The_Joker..." "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha". Damage Trigger......: Keyboard input (characters typed) and reset=++ Particularities.....: - The message "Have you ... Ha Ha" is encrypted. - All files with .COM extension will be infected (i.e also exe-files with .COM extension). - .COM files with exe-header-id "MZ" will not run after infection. - Virus does not use a self-identification on .COM files; files will be infected many times. - In case of multiple infections of .COM files, system is slowed down on first execution of the virus in a clean system; if, e.g., a file has been infected 10 times, then it will try to infect any accessible .COM file 10 times. - All file attributes are cleared/not restored. - Multiple files have the same date/time. - Programs longer than 64,337 bytes are not exe- cuted correctly after infection. --------------------- Agents ------------------------------------------ Countermeasures.....: Category 3: NTIDEVIL.EXE (VTC Hamburg) - ditto - successful: NTIDEVIL.EXE finds and restores infected programs. Standard means......: Notice .COM file length, file date/time/attribute. Typical text in virus body: "*.com", "Drk" . Search for hex bytes: E4,E1,EE,E3,E5,E4,A0,F7,E8, F4,E8.Don't use ++ if your screen has been colored; use power-off- or reset-switch to reboot your computer. --------------------- Acknowledgement --------------------------------- Location............: Virus Test Center, University Hamburg, FRG Classification by...: Stefan Tode Documentation by....: Stefan Tode Date................: 5-June-1990 .