Parasite: KeenValue

This record last updated Tue Sep 20 2005 03:34:15

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Description

KeenValue is adware operated by eUniverse.com.

Variants

KeenValue/v1, original version, consisting of a single process (keenvalue.exe) run at startup, which spawns pop-ups.

KeenValue/Incredifind adds a second process, kwm.exe, to monitor web sites viewed for ad targeting. It also includes a hosts-file hijacker redirecting Netscape Search and Verisgn Sitefinder to incredifind.com, an address-bar-search and error-page hijacker pointed at incredifind.com (redirecting to sirsearch.com), and an Internet Explorer toolbar providing a search field pointed at sirsearch.com.

(The PowerSearch toolbar is a customised version of Visicom Media’s ‘Dynamic Toolbar’.)

KeenValue/wupdater and KeenValue/SearchUpgrader consist of the Incredifind hijacker together with renamed BHOs and updater processes.

Distribution

Included in software supplied by eUniverse sites, such as thunderdownloads.com, myfreecursors.com, cursorzone.com and mycoolscreen.com.

Also installed by the FavoriteMan and SuperSpider parasites.

What it does

Advertising

Yes, opens pop-up ads periodically; in the Incredifind variant these may be triggered by targeted terms in pages being viewed.

Privacy violation

The software’s terms claim it may send all URLs viewed to its controllers. This behaviour has not been observed to happen in current versions of the software. In the Incredifind variant, the error hijack feature does leak some trackable information on pages viewed.

Security issues

Yes. Can download and execute arbitrary code as directed by its controlling server, as an update feature.

Stability problems

There may be problems closing keenvalue.exe when shutting the computer down.

Removal

The v1 variant may be removed from the Control Panel’s Add/Remove Programs feature. Choose ‘KeenValue’ and click ‘Remove’.

The Incredifind variant can be partially removed using the ‘KeenValue’ and ‘PowerSearch toolbar for IE’ entries in Add/Remove Programs, if an internet connection is present.

Manual Removal

For the Incredifind variant, open a DOS command prompt window (from Start->Programs->Accessories) and enter the following commands:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "\Program Files\Incredifind\BHO\BHO.dll"
regsvr32 /u "\Program Files\PowerSearch\Toolbar\pwrs0rbi.dll"

For the wupdater variant, enter:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "\Program Files\Incredifind\BHO\IncFindBHO.dll"

For the SearchUpgrader variant, enter:

cd "%WinDir%\System"
regsvr32 /u "\Program Files\Incredifind\BHO\IncFindBHO170.dll"

Next, for either variant, open the registry (click ‘Start’, choose ‘Run’ and enter ‘regedit’) and find the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Remove the ‘KeenValue’ entry for the v1 and Incredifind variants, ‘updater’ for the wupdater variant or ‘SearchUpgrader’ for the SearchUpgrader variant. You can also delete the following keys to clean up, if you wish:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Visicom Media\PWRS0RBI
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\eUniverse
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\KeenValue
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\updater

(Also the ‘KeenValue’ and ‘PowerSearch’ keys from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall can be deleted if you still have them.)

Next, restart your computer and you should be able to delete the ‘KeenValue’ folder (or ‘SearchUpgrader’ for that variant) inside the Program Files\Common Files folder. For the Incredifind variant you can also delete the Program Files folders ‘PowerSearch’, ‘Incredifind’ and ‘Dynamic Toolbar\PWRS0RBI’.

Finally, restore your search settings (Internet Options->Programs->Reset Web Settings), and remove the Hosts file hijack: open the System folder (which is inside the Windows folder, and called ‘System32’ on Windows NT, 2000 and XP), go to ‘drivers’->’etc’, and load the file ‘hosts’ (with no file extension) into a text editor. Delete the following line and save.

12.129.205.209 search.netscape.com