VACSINA Virus 4

Alias:
Strain:
detected when:August 1989
where:University of Cologne, FRG
Classification:Link-virus (extending), RAM- resident
Length:.COM files: program length increases by 1206-1221 bytes .EXE files: program length increases by 132 bytes

Preconditions

Operating System(s):MS-DOS
Version/Release:2.xx upward
Computer model(s):IBM-PC, XT, AT and compatibles
Caroname:Vacsina.TP-04

Attributes

Easy identification:1. Typical texts in Virus body (readable with HexDump-facilities): "VACSINA" in data area of the virus. 2. The length of an infected file is increased. 2. The date/time of the last program modification is different between an infected program and its original version.

Type of Infection:

System: infected if the segment:offset of INT31h points to 0539h:7fxxh. .Com files: with a program length of 1207-62866 bytes will be infected if the first instruc- tion is a JMP_DISP_16 (Opcode E9) and the program length increases by 1206-1221 bytes. The last 4 bytes are 0F4h,07Ah,005h,000h (identification); therefore, a .COM file will not be infected more than once. .EXE files: with a program length up to 64946 bytes will not be infected, but converted in a COM-format and the program length increases by 132 bytes. The virus adds code to the EXE-file that is able to relocate the file while loading it. If a converted EXE-file is started again in an infected system, it will be infected like a COM-file.

Infection Technique:
Infection Trigger:Programs are infected when they are run (using the function Load/Execute of Ms-Dos).
Storage Media affected:
Interrupts hooked:INT21h, INT24h (only while infecting a file). INT31 (identification that system is infected)
Stealth:
Tunneling/Selfprot:
Oligo/Polymorphism:
Encoding Method:
Damage:Transient damage: every time a file is infected, the loudspeaker will beep.
Damage Trigger:---
Particularities:The date/time of the last program modification will not be restored.
Similarities:

Agents

Countermeasures:Category 3: ANTIVACS.EXE (VTC Hamburg)
Standard means:---

Acknowledgements

Location:Virus Test Center, University Hamburg, FRG
Classification by:Michael Reinschmiedt
Documentation by:Michael Reinschmiedt
Date:January 3, 1990
Information Source:

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