OROPAX Virus

Alias:Music Virus
Strain:
detected when:February 1989
where:
Classification:Program Virus (extending), Direct Action, RAM-resident
Length:COM-files: length increased by 2756-2806 Byte, always divisable by 51.

Preconditions

Operating System(s):MS-DOS
Version/Release:2.xx upward
Computer model(s):IBM-PC, XT, AT and compatibles
Caroname:Oropax

Attributes

Easy identification:Typical texts in Virus body (readable with HexDump facilities): "????????COM" and "COMMAND.COM"

Type of Infection:

System: RAM-resident, infected if function 33E0h of interrupt 21h returns 33E0h in AX-register. .COM File: extending by using FindFirst/FindNext- function in the home directory until a COM File is encountered with a different Attribute than N or A. Files are only infected once. The following .COM-files will not be infected: - COMMAND.COM, - COM files with length divisible by 51, - COM file with an attribute other than N or A, - COM files longer than 61980 Bytes. .EXE File: no infection.

Infection Technique:
Infection Trigger:When any of the following INT 21h functions: 39h, 3Ah, 3Ch, 3D01h, 41h, 43h, 46h, 13h, 16h, or 17h are called; these functions are also used by other resident DOS commands, e.g. MD, RD, DEL, REN, and COPY.
Storage Media affected:
Interrupts hooked:INT08h, INT20h, INT21h, INT27h
Stealth:
Tunneling/Selfprot:
Oligo/Polymorphism:
Encoding Method:
Damage:Transient Damage: After 5 minutes, the virus will start to play three melodies repeatly with a 7 minute interval in between. This can only be stopped with a reset. OROPAX and earcaps can be used to avoid "music overload".
Damage Trigger:Using a random number generator, the virus decides whether to become active.
Particularities:
Similarities:

Agents

Countermeasures:ANTIORO.EXE finds and restores infected programs (only for OROPAX).
Standard means:notice .COM file length

Acknowledgements

Location:Virus Test Center, University Hamburg, FRG
Classification by:Thomas Lippke
Documentation by:Morton Swimmer
Date:July 15, 1989
Information Source:

(c) 1996 Virus-Test-Center, University of Hamburg