Swisscom Email Virus
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
(updated)
Swisscom Email Virus removal guide
What is Swisscom Email Virus?
"Swisscom Email Virus" is a spam email campaign similar to Complaint Email Virus, DHL Email Virus, AT&T Invoice Email Virus, and many others. Cyber criminals use this campaign to distribute a high-risk trojan called Ursnif. They send thousands of emails that contain false invoices and encourage users to visit links to view them. This, however, results in system infection.
"Swisscom Email Virus" campaign's emails are presented as invoices from the Swisscom company. The messages essentially state that users have pending payments and encourage them to view the invoice by visiting a specific link. This is a scam. After clicking on the link, users are prompted with a download of an archive which contains a .vbs file designed to infect the system with the Ursnif trojan. Be aware that Swisscom AG is a legitimate company and has nothing to do with this spam campaign. It is very common for cyber criminals to hide behind names of popular companies or governmental agencies. In doing so, they significantly increase the number of infections, since users are more likely to open files/links when they are received from recognizable names. Ursnif is an information-tracking trojan that targets mainly system information, and banking and online account credentials. Recorded data is stored on a remote server. Therefore, cyber criminals might gain access to your personal accounts and, thus, the presence of the Ursnif trojan might cause serious privacy issues and financial loss. If you have recently opened "Swisscom Email Virus" spam campaign files, your system might be infected. Therefore, we advise you to scan it with a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite and eliminate all threats immediately.
| Name | Swisscom invoice virus |
| Threat Type | Trojan, Password stealing virus, Banking malware, Spyware |
| Symptoms | Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate victim's computer and remain silent thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine. |
| Distribution methods | Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software cracks. |
| Damage | Stolen banking information, passwords, identity theft, victim's computer added to a botnet. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Malwarebytes. |
There are many trojan-type viruses proliferated using email spam campaigns including TrickBot, Emotet, Adwind, and FormBook - these are just some examples from many. Most trojans record sensitive information. In some cases, they also proliferate other viruses, such as ransomware. In any case, trojans pose a significant threat to your privacy and computer safety, and you should eliminate them.
How did Swisscom Email Virus infect my computer?
As mentioned above, the "Swisscom Email Virus" campaign proliferates a .zip archive that contains a malicious VBScript (.vbs) file designed to infect the system with the Ursnif trojan. Cyber criminals often trick gullible users into opening malicious files - this results in high-risk computer infections. Note, however, that this campaign targets the Microsoft Windows Operating System only. Therefore, users of Mac, Linux, and other platforms have nothing to worry about.
How to avoid installation of malware?
The main reasons for computer infections are careless behavior and lack of knowledge. The key to safety is caution. Therefore, have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and running. These tools can detect and eliminate malicious files before they infect the system. Furthermore, be cautious when browsing the Internet. You are advised to think twice before opening email attachments. If the file is irrelevant or has been sent by a suspicious/unrecognizable email address, it should never be opened. Avoid clicking on any advertisements, download your software from official sources only (using direct download links), and keep installed applications up-to-date. If you have already opened "Swisscom Email Virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Swisscom Email Virus" email message:
Subject: Swisscom Rechnung Juli 2018
swisscom
Sehr geehrte Damen un Herren
Ihre Swisscom Rechnung - zu Rechnungskonto ALL:BAc:6363851 - ist ab sofort im Kundencenter verfügbar. Die Papierrechnung erhalten Sie Weiterhin per Post.
CHF 111.00
Angaben zur papierlosen Bezahlung
Port-Konto: 01-64987-9
Zugunsten von: Swisscom (Schweiz) AG, CH-3015 Bern
Referenznummer: 00063685133030379420420180
Ursnif trojan process in Windows Task Manager:
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Malwarebytes is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is Swisscom Email Virus?
- STEP 1. Manual removal of Urnsif malware.
- STEP 2. Check if your computer is clean.
How to remove malware manually?
Manual malware removal is a complicated task - usually it is best to allow antivirus or anti-malware programs to do this automatically. To remove this malware we recommend using Malwarebytes for Windows. If you wish to remove malware manually, the first step is to identify the name of the malware that you are trying to remove. Here is an example of a suspicious program running on a user's computer:
If you checked the list of programs running on your computer, for example using task manager and identified a program that looks suspicious you should continue with these steps:
Download a program called Autoruns. This program shows auto-start applications, Registry, and file system locations:
Restart your computer into Safe Mode:
Windows XP and Windows 7 users: Start your computer in Safe Mode. Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, click OK. During your computer start process, press the F8 key on your keyboard multiple times until you see the Windows Advanced Option menu, and then select Safe Mode with Networking from the list.
Video showing how to start Windows 7 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 8 users: Start Windows 8 is Safe Mode with Networking - Go to Windows 8 Start Screen, type Advanced, in the search results select Settings. Click Advanced startup options, in the opened "General PC Settings" window, select Advanced startup. Click the "Restart now" button. Your computer will now restart into the "Advanced Startup options menu". Click the "Troubleshoot" button, and then click the "Advanced options" button. In the advanced option screen, click "Startup settings". Click the "Restart" button. Your PC will restart into the Startup Settings screen. Press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 8 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Windows 10 users: Click the Windows logo and select the Power icon. In the opened menu click "Restart" while holding "Shift" button on your keyboard. In the "choose an option" window click on the "Troubleshoot", next select "Advanced options". In the advanced options menu select "Startup Settings" and click on the "Restart" button. In the following window you should click the "F5" button on your keyboard. This will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.
Video showing how to start Windows 10 in "Safe Mode with Networking":
Extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.
In the Autoruns application, click "Options" at the top and uncheck the "Hide Empty Locations" and "Hide Windows Entries" options. After this procedure, click the "Refresh" icon.
Check the list provided by teh Autoruns application and locate the malware file that you want to eliminate.
You should write down its full path and name. Note that some malware hides process names under legitimate Windows process names. At this stage, it is very important to avoid removing system files. After you locate the suspicious program you wish to remove, right click your mouse over its name and choose "Delete".
After removing the malware through the Autoruns application (this ensures that the malware will not run automatically on the next system startup), you should search for the malware name on your computer. Be sure to enable hidden files and folders before proceeding. If you find the filename of the malware, remove it.
Reboot your computer in normal mode. Following these steps should remove any malware from your computer. Note that manual threat removal requires advanced computer skills. If you do not have these skills, leave malware removal to antivirus and anti-malware programs. These steps might not work with advanced malware infections. As always it is best to prevent infection than try to remove malware later. To keep your computer safe, install the latest operating system updates and use antivirus software.
To be sure your computer is free of malware infections, we recommend scanning it with Malwarebytes for Windows.
Outstanding!