Hardex Virus (Saddam Clone) - Amiga Virus Encyclopedia

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     Amiga Virus Encyclopedia    
     Hardex Virus (Saddam Clone) 
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     Name         : Hardex Virus

     Aliases      : Saddam Hussein clone 

     Type/Size    : Disk-Validator virus/1848 
     
     Original     : Saddam - Read test of the original virus

     Discovered   : 10 september 1993

     Way to infect: L/Disk-validator, if not found the virus makes one

     Rating       : Dangerous

     Kickstarts   : 1.2
                    1.3

     Damage       : Destroys block by overwriting 

     Removal      : Kickstart 1.2 & 1.3 : VT-Schutz v3.17
                    Kickstart all others: VirusZ III v1.04B or higher, and also Xvs.library v33.47 or higher

     Comments     : The Hardex  and Saddam Hussein virus is a modification
                    of:  Return  of  the  Lamer Exterminator 1848 bytes in
                    SYS:l/< dir > Named Disk-Validator

                    The  Hardex virus will try to make a senseless pointer
                    to a false bitmap in the root-dir. The failing attempt
                    to validate the disk will invoke the virus and it will
                    then install itself at all, none writeprotected disks.
                    In fact a Kick1.2/3 harddisk partition, too.

                    If the Root:l/< dir >  not exists  on a new  formatted
                    disk,  it  will  then  create  it  itself.

                    Old versions of the system requires the disk-validator
                    program to validate disks.  The Saddam clones makes it
                    impossible  to  validate  disks.  Therefore  you will,
                    every time you insert a disk, ( or boot your harddisk,
                    copy  to,  delete from )  see  the drive  work  for an
                    exorbitant  long  time.  For  the harddisk it can take
                    minutes, if it get finished  at all.

                    DAMAGE:  After  a counter has been decreased the virus
                    will  write  the  word "HARD" a number of times in the
                    fileheaders.
                    When it is the line with

                    File - first block start at address:
                    Number of blocks in sequence:
                    Next block in sequence:
                    Block checksum:

                    you can regard that the file is destroyed.

                    The  AmigaDOS  will  report:  Block checksum error and
                    you will get a requester like:

                               Not a DOS disk in drive: or

                               Disk not validated
                               Diskstructure currupt
                               Use DiskDoctor to correct it

                    The name below the disk.icon is

                                          NDOS

                    Some  mutations  will cause  the read/writeheads  step
                    over  the disksurface  and  will  possibly  scratch it
                    then.

                    Some  of the mutations will only write the word "HARD"
                    one  time in executable files when they are runned and
                    then decode the rest of the block.

                    In  this way it is impossible to see the virus as long
                    as  it  is in memory.  That  implicates  that  if your
                    Disk-Validator  on  the  harddisk is wrong,  the virus
                    will  hide  itself  until  the  counter reach zero. An
                    alert will then possibly display the text:

                                        HARDEX VIRUS.

                    That   specifik   specimen   has  before  that  likely
                    formatted  your  disk. (Partition  with  the  system).
                    In  System  2.0 the disk will be unreadable because of
                    calls to a non existing device.

                    But  as  soon  as  the disk is used  with the infected
                    System 1.3 the files will be readable again.

                    The  fake  Disk-Validator  will  then be active and it
                    works  like a decrypter  of  its  own files. (Infected
                    file headers).

                    Possibly  Disk utilities  like FixDisk and QuarterBack
                    TOOLS  will repair  the bad bitmap  at the bad address
                    and  then  damage  some files.  But  most of the virus
                    killers  today  is  presumably able to reconstruct the
                    files.

                    If  you  will  know  the mechanisms in details, try to
                    write  to one of the Virus-Killer programmers and ask.
                    Don't forget a bill in the letter.


                    PLEASE REMARK
                    ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
                    If  your  viruskiller  detects a virus from the Lamer,
                    ZVirus  or Boot Revenge family, don't stop the process
                    before  the intire device  is tested.

                    Some  virusprogrammers  modify  the old bootviruses so
                    they  can  copy  a Disk-Validator  from  one  disk  to
                    another. I.e. infected  with  an  inactive  virus.

                    Of course it only works with system diskettes with all
                    the system directories.

                    But  as pointed out  earlier,  at  the first moment  a
                    BitMap  turns  false  the virus will be activated  and
                    then  copy  itself.

                    And,- if  you  Format  or DiskCopy a disk it will then
                    copy  itself,  too,  because  of a call  to
                    trackdisk.device.

                    It  will  start  the  validating process at drive df0:
                    e.g. If you have booted from the harddisk you will not
                    see a nonvalid disk.icon  then.

                    REPAIR: Delete the Hardex virus on all bootable disks 
                    immediately  and  copy  the  Disk-Validator  from  the
                    write-protected Wb-disk to them.  Check all your disks
                    with a good viruskiller. Or check if some of your none
                    bootable  disks  should  content a  :l/Disk-Validator.
                    Then delete.

                    The  virus killers are able to find and repair the bad
                    files  and  drawers, but as an extra certainty you can
                    use FixDisk or QuarterBack TOOLS after that.

     Test made by : Safe Hex International
     
     
     Screenshot of Hardex Virus (Saddam Clone):
     

     


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