Information about the W32/Sohanad.B Worm:

W32/Sohanad.B is a worm. The worm will infect Windows systems and spreads through Instant Messaging applications.
The worm arrives via the popular instant messaging applications.
Upon execution, this worm copies itself as SVHOST32.EXE or SVHOST.EXE in the Windows folder.
The worm modifies registry at the following location to load itself during each startup.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

It also creates the following registry keys to modify the settings of Yahoo! Messenger:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Yahoo\pager\View\YMSGR_buzz
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Yahoo\pager\View\YMSGR_Launchcast

The worm also modifies the registry to disable Registry Editor and Task Manager. It also changes the Internet Explorer (IE) home page. This worm propagates via Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Windows Live Messenger or Windows Messenger by sending an instant message to all the contacts of an active user. This message contains a link to a remote copy of itself. When the recipient clicks the link, a copy of this worm is executed on the recipients’ system.

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Manual steps to back up the registry in Windows Vista or in Windows XP

Windows Vista

1.    Click StartStart button, type systempropertiesprotection in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
User Access Control permission If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
2.    Wait for Windows to search for available disks and most recent restore points. In the System Properties dialog box, on the System Protection tab, click Create,
3.    Type a name for the restore point and then click Create.
4.    After the restore point has been created successfully, click OK two times.

Note If System Restore is turned off, click to select the local disk, click Apply and then click Create.

Windows XP

1.    Click Start, click Run, type %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, and then click OK.
2.    On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Create a restore point, and then click Next .
3.    On the Create a Restore Point page, type a name for the restore point and then click Create
4.    After the restore point has been created, click Close.
Note If System Restore is turned off, you receive a message that asks whether you want to turn on System Restore now. Click Yes. Then, in the System Properties dialog box, click to clear the Turn off System Restore check box, click OK, and then repeat this step.

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SYMPTOMS

When you try to release and renew the IP address by using the Ipconfig program (Ipconfig.exe), you may receive one of the following error messages.

Message 1

An error occurred while renewing interface ‘Internet’: An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket.

Message 2

An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection: the requested service provider could not be loaded or initialized.

When you start Internet Explorer, you may receive the following error message:

The page cannot be displayed

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Be advised that anytime you modify the registry, you should back up the registry first. Making modifications to the registry can cause your computer to act in an unpredictable manner, including making your computer unable to boot.

Below is a list of the Registry changes to optimize high speed connections:
• Back Up the Registry (All Versions of Windows)
• Registry Tweaks for Windows 98/ME
• Registry Tweaks for Windows 2000/XP

Back Up the Registry (All Versions of Windows)
1. Click the Start button, and choose Run.
2. In the Open field, type regedit.
3. Click the OK button.
4. From the Registry menu, choose Export Registry File.
5. Click the down arrow on the Save in drop-down list and choose the location you would like to save the file to (Desktop in this example).
6. In the File name field, type a name for your back up (feb24 in this example).
7. In the Save as drop-down list, chose Registration Files.
8. Click the All radio button in the Export range area.
9. Click the Save button.

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