IBM has reportedly warned their customers not to use the Usb Flash Drives that were shipped to them recently, as they contain some malicious code. They advised the customers to securely destroy the flash drive and not to use it, as it may infect the user computers.
What is the malware present on the USB drive?
The company said, 'The Storewize initialization tools for V3500, V3700, and V5000 Gen 1 systems present in the USB flash drives contains a malicious code that can infect the customer computer when used in it.' The company further said that the infected USB flash drives can be identified by the number 01AC585 present in them.
Reports from the Kaspersky Lab indicates that the malicious code belongs to the 'Reconyc Trojan' malware family which is widely found to target the victims in Russia and India.
The initialization tool present in the USB flash drive when executed in the customer PC copies the malicious code present in the USB device to the hard drive of the computer. The malware, which is initially placed in a temporary folder, moves into the operating system registry and tries to operate automatically whenever the customer turns on the system. The malware then gradually spreads across the entire system and encrypts all the important files and folders present on the computer hard drive. This type of malware is generally used by the cyber criminals to steal confidential and financial information present in the victims' computer.
What must the users do to get rid of the malware?
The company has warned the customers who have already launched the initialization tool on their computer to safely remove the malware by either using an up to date antivirus software or by deleting the entire directory that contains the malicious code. It has also said that the customers who have not yet used the USB flash drive must try to securely delete them which can be done by permanently deleting all the files and folders present in the USB device.
Before making use of the USB drive, make sure that the malware is completely removed by scanning the device using an advanced antivirus software.
IBM has released a list of antivirus software that can detect the malicious code present in the USB flash drive that belongs to the ‘Reconyc Trojan’ family. AhnLab, ESET, Qihoo, Tencent, McAfee, TrendMicro, Microsoft, Kaspersky, ZoneAlarm, and Symantec are some of the antivirus softwares recommended by the company.
IBM has said that it has taken all the necessary steps to stop shipping further USB devices that are infected with the malicious code.
