home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
DP Tool Club 26
/
CD_ASCQ_26_1295.iso
/
vrac
/
cm8106b.zip
/
MANUAL.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1995-10-01
|
38KB
|
1,045 lines
╓───╖ ╖ ╥ ╓──╥──╖ ╖
║ ╨ ║ ║ ╓ ║ ║ ║ ╫──
║ ╟───╖ ╓───╖ ╟──╨╖ ║ ║ ║ ╓───╥ ║ ╓───╖
║ ╖ ║ ║ ╟───╜ ║ ║ ║ ╨ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╟───╜
╙───╜ ╙ ╜ ╙───╜ ╨ ╙ ╜ ╨ ╙───╨─ ╙──┘╙───╜
Known\Unknown Virus
Detection Utility
Copyright (c) 1994,1995 Martin Overton (ChekWARE). All rights reserved.
Written by: Internet:
Martin Overton,(ChekWARE) ChekMate@salig.demon.co.uk
8 Owl Beech Place,
Horsham,
West Sussex,
RH13 6PQ,
UNITED KINGDOM
_________________________________________________________________________
THE INFORMATION AND CODE PROVIDED IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF
ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL MARTIN OVERTON OR HIS AGENT(s) BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER INCLUDING GENERAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL,
LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES. EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
_________________________________________________________________________
The UNREGISTERED version of this program, it's executables, bait files
and related files may be distributed freely as long as no money is charged
for the program itself or any of its components.
This program MUST be distributed as a whole with its associated files
and this document.
This version of ChekMate may not be distributed as a part of any commercial
package without prior written agreement of the author.
Page i
___________________________________________________________________________
This program was developed entirely using personal time and personal
resources.
It has been tested on many different PCs and DOS versions with no
problems encountered.
This program has no connection with, or is in any way endorsed by my
employers.
Table Of Contents
License ----------------------------------------------------------- 1
Requirements ------------------------------------------------------ 1
What is ChekMate? ------------------------------------------------- 1
Before Installation ----------------------------------------------- 2
Installation (ALL Operating Systems) ------------------------------ 3
Installation (DOS) ------------------------------------------------ 3
Installation (Windows) -------------------------------------------- 4
Installation (OS/2) ----------------------------------------------- 4
CHEKMATE.INI ------------------------------------------------------ 5
Using SETUP ------------------------------------------------------- 6
Upgrading from Version 1.06a -------------------------------------- 8
How ChekMate Works ------------------------------------------------ 9
A Guided Tour of ChekMate ----------------------------------------- 10
DOS ERRORLEVEL return codes --------------------------------------- 12
Command line switches/help ---------------------------------------- 12
Known limitations ------------------------------------------------- 13
Common Questions and Answers -------------------------------------- 13
Latest versions (Where to get them)-------------------------------- 15
Thanks ------------------------------------------------------------ 16
Why was ChekMate Written? ----------------------------------------- 16
Bug reports/suggestions (Where to send them)----------------------- 16
And finally .... -------------------------------------------------- 17
Information about MD5 --------------------------------------------- 18
Page 1
__________________________________________________________________________
License:
_______
This version of ChekMate is hereby released under the Shareware concept.
ChekMate can be evaluated for up to 30 days without having to register.
After that period of time please either register ChekMate or remove it
from your system.
Registration will entitle you to the registered version which is free of
the 'nag-screen' and has additional features. See REGISTER.TXT for full
details.
The author retains the copyright of ChekMate and all of its components
(except MD5 which is copyright RSA Data Security, Inc.)
ChekMate or any of its components may not be used as part of any other
package unless written agreement is obtained from the author.
ChekMate must not be modified in any way.
MD5 is the RSA Data Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm,
Copyright 1991 RSA Data Security, Inc.
Requirements:
____________
ChekMate requires you to have an IBM PC Compatible running DOS 3.3 or later
and at least 384Kb of memory and a Hard Disk.
DEBUG must also be on your PC in your Path. DEBUG will always be in your DOS
directory, and in your PATH, unless you have manualy removed it. The same is
OS/2, Windows 3.x and Windows '95.
What is ChekMate:
________________
ChekMate was written to detect new and known file, boot and partition table
viruses.
It should be used alongside a good quality, up-to-date virus scanner.
!!! ChekMate is NOT a substitute for a virus scanner. !!!
ChekMate can be integrated with your current DOS based virus scanner.
It will detect most file infector, boot sector or partition table viruses.
ChekMate makes no wild claims about 'Providing 100% protection against all
current and future viruses!' (I'll leave that to other products.)
ChekMate is simply an extra layer for a virus to try to defeat. When
combined with 'frequent' backups and a good up-to-date virus scanner,
ChekMate WILL help to protect your data from many known and unknown viruses.
One of ChekMate's users said: "ChekMate has been a real security blanket"
Another ChekMate user wrote: "I wouldn't boot up without it."
ChekMate will NOT bombard you with lots of false alarms (unless your
system is always in a state of flux!). It just monitors the areas/files
that a virus will frequently target.
!!! Think of ChekMate as a viral smoke alarm. !!!
Page 2
__________________________________________________________________________
Before Installation:
___________________
Before installation scan the target PC with a good quality up-to-date virus
scanner.
*** Only once the PC is found to be free of viruses ***
*** should you proceed with the installation of ChekMate. ***
Copy all the files to a floppy disk and write protect it. This disk can then
be used in the event of a virus outbreak to replace infected ChekMate files.
Also copy the .CHK files after ChekMate is run for the first time to the
floppy disk you've just created (above).
Before installation, ensure that the Validation information is correct.
The Validation information was generated by MD5 from RSA Inc.
(Supplied with this file as MD5.EXE)
Filename Size Date Time MD5 Hash
-------- ---- ---- ---- --------
CHEKMATE.EXE 131415 10-01-95 1:06a 4f1c7ffce27e83df46bc19b2621d986e
CHEKMATE.CHK 168 10-01-95 1:06a 8eba8ff7af3c69e7fa1c0e6c226e3fe4
SETUP.EXE 40452 10-01-95 1:06a bb1e94a4986b1d36a2451030fe816ea7
REGISTER.EXE 31020 10-01-95 1:06a 87da56a677b796f059df264fc6fb622f
MD5.EXE 9602 10-01-95 1:06a 7881d18adf5f4406984cd863beaecda7
04K.COM 4096 10-01-95 1:06a 45f2e0dc4a89a40c9f82860c6cba252b
04K.EXE 4096 10-01-95 1:06a 624929af93155ca39094bcc5bd56c0ed
10K.COM 10240 10-01-95 1:06a 01263656989c6359f8354579628fdcdc
10K.EXE 10240 10-01-95 1:06a 56207e514203cf23624e8655066a3a9a
25K.COM 25600 10-01-95 1:06a 3ee78a553665f85201459ca5929578f9
25K.EXE 25600 10-01-95 1:06a a70ad2d630652bc9c98d1e7023350707
FILECHK1.CHK 193 10-01-95 1:06a 7229c907d982c01c9223f8dd18521867
FILECHK2.CHK 193 10-01-95 1:06a b716719c540b2a2a02d445bf81b19f96
If these values do NOT match the files included with this document then
please inform me and do not run them.
To check the MD5 Hash for the files do the following: At the DOS prompt in
the directory where ChekMate was installed type:
MD5 <Filename.ext> where <Filename.ext> is the name of the file to check.
e.g. MD5 MD5.EXE CHEKMATE.EXE SETUP.EXE
This would return something like:
(see the table above for the correct MD5 hash values)
md5 (md5.exe) 7881d18adf5f4406984cd863beaecda7
md5 (chekmate.exe) 0601062a4b7d25a58f7a9217992d90f1
md5 (setup.exe) 345e06107d1fd5ed03fa2a92cb6c678a
Page 3
__________________________________________________________________________
Install (ALL Operating Systems):
_______________________________
Create a directory for this program and copy the files listed below to that
directory:
CHEKMATE.EXE -> The Main Program File
CHEKMATE.ICO -> Windows Icon File for ChekMate
CHEKMATE.PIF -> Windows PIF File for ChekMate
CHEKMATE.CHK -> ChekMate Finger-Print file
REGISTER.EXE -> Registration Utility
SETUP.EXE -> Setup program for modifying CHEKMATE.INI
CHEKMATE.INI -> Program INI File (See Later)
MD5.EXE -> RSA's MD5 hash generator (PUBLIC DOMAIN)
FILECHK1.CHK -> Bait files Finger-Print file (Start of Files)
FILECHK2.CHK -> Bait files Finger-Print file (End of Files)
04K.COM \
04K.EXE \
10K.COM \
10K.EXE / Bait files
25K.COM /
25K.EXE /
(Bait files are simple files that display a message and return to DOS,
they act as a decoy to tempt a virus into infecting it. They have no other
purpose and DO NOT execute any other code or files.)
The BAIT files MUST not be replaced with your own versions of BAIT or any
other executable files as MD5 hash values for the files are stored within
the main CHEKMATE.EXE file.
They must also be left in the same order in the CHEKMATE.INI provided,
you can though, rename them if you so wish.
Install (DOS):
_____________
If you are running it from DOS then:
Add ChekMate to your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
Either add the line below:
C:\<Directory_Name>\CHEKMATE.EXE
If you use this option, then put CHEKMATE.INI in the ROOT directory '\'.
OR Create a batch file that contains the following lines:
CD\<Directory_Name>
CHEKMATE.EXE
CD\
<Directory_Name> should be the directory where you placed ChekMate
eg. C:\CHEKMATE
Page 4
__________________________________________________________________________
Install (Windows):
________________
If you want to run ChekMate from Windows then:
Use the 'File' 'New' 'Program Item' menu option in Program Manager
to create an entry for this program. (PIF file supplied.)
Edit the .PIF file to reflect the correct 'working directory'.
The ICON can be set to CHEKMATE.ICO in the directory where
ChekMate was installed.
Install (OS/2 2.x & Warp):
_________________________
To set up ChekMate under OS/2, follow the instructions below:
For both HPFS and FAT file systems:
From the OS/2 desktop, drag a new 'PROGRAM' icon from the
'Templates' folder and enter the following details:
Path and file name:
C:\<ChekMate Dir>\CHEKMATE.BAT
The batch file should contain the following commands:
(.... = any other batch file command)
@ECHO OFF
CHEKMATE.EXE
.....
.....
.....
PAUSE
This will make sure that ChekMate doesn't just exit back to the
OS/2 Desktop when it's finished. (Optionaly, just check the 'do not
close on exit' box in the setting folder)
Working directory:
C:\<ChekMate Dir>
Where <ChekMate Dir> is the directory that you installed ChekMate.
eg. CHEKMATE
Click on the General tab of the program notebook and change
the title to:
ChekMate
Now drag this icon to the Startup folder.
Page 5
__________________________________________________________________________
CHEKMATE.INI:
____________
You can use the SETUP.EXE file supplied to change the CHEKMATE.INI.
(Strongly Recommended)
SETUP will in many cases tell you what the settings should be for a
particular line.
(See SETUP later in this document)
Otherwise, manualy edit the CHEKMATE.INI file (Shown Below) if required:
Notes Example File What each line is/means
[System] Section Label
CMDir=C:\CHEKMATE The Directory That ChekMate is Installed in.
*1 Shell=C:\COMMAND.COM Path & Name of Command Processor in use.
*2 Drives=1 Number of drives (Physical or Logical).
*3 BaseMem=640 The BASE DOS Memory as reported by MEM /C.
[BaitFiles] Section Label
1=04K.COM 4096 Byte .COM Bait file.
2=04K.EXE 4096 Byte .EXE Bait file.
3=10K.COM 10240 Byte .COM Bait file.
4=10K.EXE 10240 Byte .EXE Bait file.
5=25K.COM 25600 Byte .COM Bait file.
6=25K.EXE 25600 Byte .EXE Bait file.
This file MUST exist and the contents MUST be correct or ChekMate will NOT
work correctly.
*1 The command processor can be COMMAND.COM. 4DOS & NDOS.COM are also
supported as common replacements for COMMAND.COM.
Use SETUP.EXE if you are unsure about this.
*2 ChekMate will handle up to drive F:
(The CHEKMATE.INI entry would then need to be 4)
*3 This is usually 640Kb (655,360 Bytes), Some systems may report 639Kb
due to HD controllers and some extended BIOSes 'borrowing' 1Kb for
their own purposes.
If this causes problems you can disable this test by setting this
value to 0 (Zero).
** This is NOT recommended **
ChekMate now displays the DOS base memory detected at run time.
Page 6
__________________________________________________________________________
Using SETUP:
___________
SETUP.EXE allows you to change/set the contents of CHEKMATE.INI without the
use of an editor or require you to have any specialist knowledge of your
system setup (apart from the number of LOCAL drive letters!).
To run SETUP, simply ensure that you are in the directory that CHEKMATE.INI
(default is the ChekMate directory) was placed into, now type the line below
at your DOS or OS/2 prompt:
SETUP
Or to run SETUP on a mono screen type:
SETUP /MONO
Either way, you will see the screen below:
__________________________________________________________________________
+--- ChekMate Version 1.06b [1st October 1995] ----+
| Configuration / Setup Program |
+---------------------------------------------------+
The CHEKMATE.INI Currently Looks Like This
ChekMate Directory := C:\CHEKMATE
Command Processor := C:\COMMAND.COM
No. of Drive Letters := 3
(C:,D:,E:)
DOS (BASE) Memory := 640
Please Note: Not showing BAIT file information
Are These Values Correct (Y/N)
Choose 'N' To Edit CHEKMATE.INI or 'Y' Will Exit Back To Dos
__________________________________________________________________________
As you can see above the CURRENT settings are shown. You are asked if the
values are correct.
If you answer 'Y' then SETUP simply exits back to the operating system
without making any modifications.
If you answer 'N' then you will be asked questions. An example is shown
below:
Page 7
__________________________________________________________________________
+--- ChekMate Version 1.06b [1st October 1995] ----+
| Configuration / Setup Program |
+---------------------------------------------------+
Enter Directory Where ChekMate is Installed Currently (C:\CHEKMATE)
Path=: c:\AV\CHEKMATE
Set To: C:\AV\CHEKMATE
Enter The Path & Name of Your Command Processor, Currently (C:\COMMAND.COM)
DOS Reports The Following (C:\OS2\MDOS\COMMAND.COM)
Shall I Set It To That (Y/N) ?
Set To: D:\OS2\MDOS\COMMAND.COM
Enter The Number of Drive Letters (Up to F: Only), Currently ( 3)
Number =: 2
Set To: 2
Enter The Amount of DOS BASE Memory (Up to 640Kb Only),Currently ( 640 )
I Detect( 640 ) Set It to That Value (Y/N) ?
Set To: 640
Is This Correct (Y/N) ?
Choose 'N' To Try Again or 'Y' Will Write Changes And Exit To Dos
__________________________________________________________________________
As you can see SETUP will tell you what some of the settings SHOULD be set
to. It will automatically work out what command processor is running from
the environment variable COMSPEC.
The DOS base memory is also detected automatically. Common values are 640
or 639, the latter is mainly found in systems with extended BIOSes.
ANY other value should be questioned!
Once all the questions are answered, you are then asked to confirm whether
the settings are correct.
Answering 'N' will restart the questions.
Answering 'Y' will write out the changes to CHEKMATE.INI and exit to Dos.
Page 8
__________________________________________________________________________
Upgrading From Version 1.06a:
____________________________
To upgrade ChekMate from version 1.06a, proceed as follows:
1. Read all of this manual BEFORE proceeding.
2. Copy CHEKMATE.EXE, CHEKMATE.CHK, SETUP.EXE & REGISTER.EXE to your
ChekMate directory.
3. Now run CHEKMATE.EXE, if ChekMate informs you that a FingerPrint
file is missing, Press any key to continue. You will then be told
that the missing .CHK file is being created.
5. ChekMate should now work fine with the updated files.
6. If the above does not work correctly, then run CHEKMATE.EXE /CREATE
as this will re-generate all the .CHK files.
Page 9
__________________________________________________________________________
How ChekMate Works:
__________________
Every time ChekMate is run, it will first test key Interrupts and DOS memory
for modifications (unless you disable this test, see below).
ChekMate, when run for the first time, will create a series of Finger-Print
(.CHK) files of the following:
COMMAND.COM or an alternate command processor,
THE BOOT SECTOR(s) and THE PARTITION TABLE.
Any other time that ChekMate is run it will match the Finger-Print files
with the actual files or image files taken at runtime.
These Finger-Print (.CHK) files are not CRC's (Checksums, as these are
easily fooled by some viruses) but are actual code fragments of the start
and in some cases the end of the file or area.
All the BAIT files, ChekMate.EXE, MD5.EXE and the Command Processor are
also protected with MD5 hash values.
MD5 hash values are 128 bit cryptographic signatures of the files, which
are VERY secure. Far more secure than other similar techniques.
If these Finger-Print files and/or hash values do NOT match the runtime
images, then you will be warned that one or more of the files/areas have
been changed. The actual area/file name will be displayed.
The information will also be written to the error log (ERROR.LOG) in the
ChekMate directory.
If a change is detected then ChekMate will return to DOS without checking
any other files/areas for modifications.
Most viruses change executable code at the beginning and/or end of a file
or area. ChekMate checks for this sort of modification.
MD5 hash values are computed from the contents of the whole file and
therefore will detect ANY change to the file(s).
Page 10
__________________________________________________________________________
A Guided Tour of ChekMate:
_________________________
Below is an example of the output that ChekMate produces when run.
Explanations are given at each stage of the process.
___________________________________________________________________________
█████████████ ChekMate √ 1.06b UNREGISTERED [1st October 1995] █████████████
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
*1 ▌ Checking ChekMate Files & The Command Processor ...
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Current Task Progress
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
*2 ▌ ChekMate.EXE OK ▐ ▌ Interrupts OK ▐ *3
▌ MD5.EXE OK ▐ ▌ 640Kb (DOS BASE) Memory Detected ▐
▌ Command Processor OK ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▌ ▐ ▌ ▐
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
*4 ▌ ▐
▌ ▐
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
_____________________________________________________________________________
Fig 1.
*1 Header, Shows current task identity.
*2 Current Task Window, Shows detail of current task.
*3 Progress, Shows completed task identities.
*4 Message Window, Shows error messages etc.
The main screen (Fig 1.) shows ChekMate reporting the checked interrupts,
the DOS base memory detected at execution. This is compared with a stored
value in the CHEKMATE.INI. If these values are different, then a warning
message is shown, ChekMate returns a DOS errorlevel and returns control to
the operating system.
Many boot sector or partition table viruses lower the base memory value by
1Kb or more.
ChekMate detects many of those viruses by this method alone.
The next step, assuming no change is detected in the DOS base memory is for
ChekMate to check itself (it also checks itself BEFORE it gets this far!).
It checks its fingerprint file against its own code and then checks its MD5
cryptographic fingerprint against a stored value.
If either of these do not match, a warning message appears, ChekMate returns
a DOS errorlevel and returns control to the operating system.
Page 11
__________________________________________________________________________
More detailed information is written out to the error log file (ERROR.LOG).
This is repeated for MD5.EXE and the Command Processor.
(The error/change reporting is the same at each stage of ChekMate's
examination of your system files/areas.)
A similar routine is used for the boot sector(s) and the partition table.
The main difference is that the whole 512 bytes are compared with the
values/images stored the first time that ChekMate was run.
If either of these do not match, a warning message appears,ChekMate returns
a DOS errorlevel and returns control to the operating system.
The next phase of ChekMate is to check the decoy/bait files used to trap
file infecting viruses, before they are executed.
These files are first checked in the same way as CHEKMATE.EXE etc., except
the cryptographic fingerprints are stored inside CHEKMATE.EXE, and that the
filesize is also checked.
This is done to minimise the chance of modifications to these files by an
unknown party. That is to say, this is an anti-hacker ploy.
If these files are found to be unchanged, they are then executed. This
is to purposely expose them to any viruses that are capable of infecting
files.
This is like a lamb walking up to wolf and saying "my you have big teeth!"
This has proved to be very effective in trapping unknown file infecting
viruses.
Yet again, if ANY changes are detected, you will see an error message.
The decoy/bait files are then checked AGAIN after they have been executed
to determine whether a file infecting virus has modified them.
If you got this far without any warning messages, then your system is
deemed to be clean (assuming it was clean BEFORE ChekMate was installed,
and that an up to date, good quality virus scanner is used at reasonable
intervals, say weekly!)
Page 12
__________________________________________________________________________
Dos ERRORLEVEL Returns:
______________________
The following errorlevel values are returned when ChekMate exits back to DOS.
0 = No modifications detected
1 = COMMAND.COM (or other COMMAND processor) appears to have been changed
2 = ChekMate.EXE appears to have been changed
3 = The BOOT SECTOR(s) appears to have been changed
4 = The PARTITION TABLE appears to have been changed
5 = One or more of the BAIT files appear to have been changed
6 = The DOS base memory amount appear to have been changed
7 = MD5.EXE appears to have been changed
9 = A change has been detected in the CMOS *REGISTERED version only!
10 = One or more of the interrupts are outside the normal boundries
98 = Dir2.Byway appears to be active on this system
99 = A companion virus appears to be active on this system
Q. What can you do with this information?
A. You can use the errorlevels returned in a batch file to automatically
run your favourite virus scanner when ChekMate detects a modification
to your system.
e.g. CHECK.BAT
@ECHO OFF
CLS
CD C:\CHEKMATE
CHEKMATE.EXE
IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO :End
:Change!
C:\SCANNER\SCAN.EXE /ADL
CD C:\
:End
The batch file above will only run your virus scanner (in this example the
scanner is McAfee Scan) if the errorlevel does not equal (0) zero.
Help/Command Line Switches:
__________________________
To get help, run:
CHEKMATE.EXE /? or /H
Other command line switches:
/CREATE Creates a 'new' set of Finger-Print files.
Usually only used after DOS upgrade or after cleaning up
after a virus attack.
/NOEXPOSE Used to only check Finger-Print files against original
files/area. Does NOT execute BAIT files.
/QUIET Force ChekMate to run in QUIET mode.
(ChekMate will only display warnings no other information
is shown. REGISTERED version only!)
Page 13
__________________________________________________________________________
Known problems/limitations:
__________________________
1) May not detect Companion viruses very quickly. But as soon as one
of the bait files is infected it will alert you. A companion virus
is very easy to spot as it makes a 'Companion' .COM file for ANY
.EXE file on the infected system.
Less of a problem with versions 1.06a or later
2) May not detect direct action non-TSR viruses very quickly.
Most new viruses are TSR (memory resident) variants.
The best way to test 'suspect' files is to place them in the same
directory as ChekMate, Virus Scan them and if they are not reported
as infected, then run them from there. Then run ChekMate.
**** REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM FIRST ****
3) Link viruses, such are DIR II may not be detected as no executable
code is changed.
A special routine has been added for the Dir2.Byway Link virus.
Common Questions & Answers:
__________________________
If ChekMate detects a change in your system then proceed as follows:
To confirm this run your favourite virus scanner, after booting from
the original write-protected bootable system disk.
If the scanner finds nothing then send the following files to me
(you will find them in the directory where ChekMate was installed):
For the correct files to send see the relevent question.
Q1. ChekMate informed me that the 'DOS Base Memory' value has changed
what should I do?
A1. If ChekMate has been working fine before, then you have probably
been infected by a Boot Sector or Partition Table virus. Most of
these types of viruses 'steal' 1Kb or more from DOS.
Please send me the following files for inspection:
?BOOT.SEC files (Where ? is C, D, E or F)
?BOOT.CHK files (Where ? is C, D, E or F)
PART.CHK
PART.SEC
ERROR.LOG
Q2. ChekMate informed me that ChekMate.EXE has changed, what should I do?
A2. ChekMate.EXE should NEVER change, apart from being upgraded to the
latest version.
Please send me the CHEKMATE.EXE & CHEKMATE.CHK files to inspect.
Q3. ChekMate informed me that MD5.EXE has changed, what should I do?
A3. MD5.EXE should NEVER change, apart from being upgraded to the
latest version.
Please send me the MD5.EXE file to inspect.
Page 14
__________________________________________________________________________
Q4. ChekMate informed me that 'The Command Processor' has changed, what
should I do?
A4. Your Command Processor should NEVER change, apart from DOS being
upgraded to another version.
Please send me a copy of your Command Processor file to inspect.
(Usually COMMAND.COM, could be NDOS.COM or 4DOS.COM)
Q5. ChekMate informed me that 'The Boot Sector' has changed, what should
I do?
A5. If ChekMate has been working fine before, & you have NOT upgraded
your version of DOS or changed the 'Volume Label' then you have
probably been infected by a Boot Sector virus.
Please send me the following files:
?BOOT.SEC files (Where ? is C, D, E &/or F)
?BOOT.CHK files (Where ? is C, D, E &/or F)
ERROR.LOG
Q6. ChekMate informed me that 'The Partition Table' has changed, what
should I do?
A6. If ChekMate has been working fine before, & you have NOT upgraded
your version of DOS or changed the Partition Table by running FDISK
then you have probably been infected by a Partition Table virus.
Please send me the following files:
PART.SEC
PART.CHK
ERROR.LOG
Q7. ChekMate informed me that '1 or More of The BAIT File(s)' have
changed, what should I do?
A7. The BAIT files should NEVER change. (except from version 1.05d to
1.06a)
Please send me the following files to inspect.
04K.COM
04K.EXE
10K.COM
10K.EXE
25K.COM
25K.EXE
Page 15
__________________________________________________________________________
Q8. ChekMate informed me that 'Interrupt xx has changed', what should I
do?
A8. There are two posibilities:
1. You are running a TSR that has modified an interrupt address that
is frequently used by memory resident and /or stealth virus.
Remove all TSR programs and try ChekMate again to see if the
problem stops.
If it does then re-load the TSR's one at a time (running ChekMate
after each one) until the problem re-occurs.
Please inform me of the program and send me a copy of the
ERROR.LOG file for me to inspect. I will then try to fix the
problem.
2. A memory resident and / or stealth virus is active in your system.
Please manualy run the bait files, 04K.COM etc. and then send
them to me to inspect for signs of infection.
Please send me a copy of the ERROR.LOG file for me to inspect.
In all cases ensure that you have scanned your system with a good and
up-to-date virus scanner (such as F-Prot, ThunderBYTE etc...).
Please remember to inform me which scanner & version was used. Also
please ensure that you send the ERROR.LOG file.
Latest Version:
______________
The latest version of this application should always be available from the
internet site or bulletin board that you originally obtained it from.
The main site is the SimTel archives (ftp.coast.net) or one of the mirror
sites, in the simtel/msdos/virus directory.
The Secondary site is: ftp.demon.co.uk in /pub/antivirus/ibmpc/av-progs
You will also find it on many BBS's throughout the world.
Please E-Mail me if you want to know when a new version is released,
I will add you to the mailing list for new version announcements.
Registered users will informed automatically.
Page 16
__________________________________________________________________________
Bug reports, suggestions, etc...
________________________________
If you catch a virus with ChekMate in one of the Bait files, then please
send me a copy for analysis. I will send a reply to anyone who sends me
such a file. If possible I will send a search string to correctly identify
the new virus to aid removal.
To date ChekMate has trapped four unknown viruses ("in the wild"). The
latest was even undetected by heuristic based scanners.
Mail files to the E-Mail or Postal address at the top of this document.
(If you e-mail the file(s) then please use UUENCODE or MIME. Also for
greater security please use PGP (my public key is supplied with 1.06a))
Please send all bug reports, suggestions, etc to the E-Mail or Postal
address at the top of this document.
If you like this program, let other people know about it!
If you have tested ChekMate against any viruses then please let me know
the outcome of these tests, whether the results are good or bad.
For details of viruses that ChekMate has been tested against, please see
the file enclosed in this ZIP file, TESTS.TXT.
Thanks:
______
Thanks to Philip Tong for early Beta testing and a copy of the then unknown
'Dalian' virus which ChekMate captured. Thanks also go to Ed Fenton, Hugh
Brecher, Jon Dron, Flint Howard and many others for their suggestions for
improvements, Beta testing of new versions and constructive feedback.
A very BIG thank you goes to Christy Gemmell who has helped with some of the
new routines used in this program.
Why was ChekMate Written?:
_________________________
I frequently receive suspect files from people throughout the world that
believe, either rightly or wrongly, they are infected with a new/unknown or
known virus.
I needed a way to confirm that the file/disk was indeed infected.
My first step was to scan it for known viruses, if that did not detect a
known virus then the infected file/disk was run on a 'sheep-dip' PC and
ChekMate was then used to tempt the virus into infecting one or more of the
bait files or the Boot sector or Partition Table.
In all cases the virus was caught by ChekMate. Either by infecting one or
more of the BAIT files or the Boot Sector or Partition Table.
Many people do not perform a daily scan of their PC, because they feel it
takes too long (3-20 Minutes). ChekMate takes under 20 seconds to run,
even on 80286 based systems.
Page 17
__________________________________________________________________________
And finally .........
_____________________
Thank you for trying ChekMate.
Page 18
__________________________________________________________________________
Information about MD5 (Quoted from RFC1321)
___________________________________________
" 1. Executive Summary
This document describes the MD5 message-digest algorithm. The algorithm
takes as input a message of arbitrary length and produces as output a
128-bit "fingerprint" or "message digest" of the input.
It is conjectured that it is computationally infeasible to produce two
messages having the same message digest, or to produce any message having
a given prespecified target message digest.
The MD5 algorithm is intended for digital signature applications, where
a large file must be "compressed" in a secure manner before being encrypted
with a private (secret) key under a public-key cryptosystem such as RSA.
The MD5 algorithm is designed to be quite fast on 32-bit machines. In
addition, the MD5 algorithm does not require any large substitution tables;
the algorithm can be coded quite compactly.
The MD5 algorithm is an extension of the MD4 message-digest algorithm 1,2].
MD5 is slightly slower than MD4, but is more "conservative" in design. MD5
was designed because it was felt that MD4 was perhaps being adopted for use
more quickly than justified by the existing critical review; because MD4 was
designed to be exceptionally fast, it is "at the edge" in terms of risking
successful cryptanalytic attack. MD5 backs off a bit, giving up a little in
speed for a much greater likelihood of ultimate security. It incorporates
some suggestions made by various reviewers, and contains additional
optimizations. The MD5 algorithm is being placed in the public domain for
review and possible adoption as a standard. "
*** END OF DOCUMENT ***