BMO Account Report Email Virus
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
(updated)
"BMO Account Report Email Virus" removal guide
What is "BMO Account Report Email Virus"?
"BMO Account Report Email Virus" is another spam campaign that distributes a high-risk trojan virus called TrickBot. This is how it works: cyber criminals send thousands of emails with attachments that contain supposedly confidential information to thousands of people. The main purpose of these emails is to trick users into opening an attachment that will infect computers with malware.
The email subject indicates that the message is an important BMO (Bank of Montreal) account report. According to the sender, Tim Irenblay (a fictional character), the attached "Sep2018.xls" file contains information about a locked pension protected by the Canada Pension Standard Act 1985. This email encourages recipients to open the attachment for more details, however, we strongly recommend that you do not open it. The sender of this email is a cyber criminal claiming to be a representative of BMO. Cyber criminals often hide behind well-known company names to cause as many infections as possible. The BMO has nothing to do with the message and this is a scam used to infect computers with the TrickBot virus. Many people open these attachments, and thus scammers are able to exploit this situation. If installed, this particular TrickBot virus hijacks websites visited by victims and modifies the content. This enables TrickBot to save entered logins, passwords, and other credentials, and store them on remote server. Therefore, it is possible that the TrickBot virus might also obtain victims' banking details or other sensitive account details. The main purpose of TrickBot is to steal as many personal details as possible and use them to generate revenue. Viruses such as TrickBot and other data tracking apps often cause serious financial and privacy issues. If have already opened the attachment included within an "BMO Account Report Email Virus" email, there is a high possibility that your computer is already infected with the TrickBot virus. We strongly recommend that you scan your computer for viruses using reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware software immediately.
| Name | Bank of Montreal account report 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. |
TrickBot is just one of many trojan viruses. Other examples include FormBook, Emotet, and Adwind. These viruses might affect systems and victims differently, but most cause problems relating to computer safety and privacy. If you suspect that your computer is infected with a virus of this type, remove it immediately.
How did "BMO Account Report Email Virus" infect my computer?
As with many spam campaigns (including Confidential Fax, HMRC, etc.), "BMO Account Report Email Virus" promotes a malicious file (a Microsoft Office document), in this case, an Excel (.xls) file called "Sep2018.xls". When opened, this attached file asks permission to enable macros commands. If permission is given, the malicious attachment executes commands that download and install the TrickBot virus. Note, however, that this applies only to Microsoft Office documents. If the attachment is opened using a product other than Microsoft Office, the virus cannot be proliferate/installed and the computer is not infected. TrickBot virus developers target Windows users who open documents using Microsoft Office programs. Users of other platforms are generally safe.
How to avoid installation of malware?
To avoid viruses proliferated using spam campaigns, be careful online. Carefully analyze emails that contain attachments. If an email is sent from an unknown/suspicious sender or email address, and it contains an irrelevant attachment, do not open it. Have reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware software installed and keep it enabled. Furthermore, we recommend that you use Microsoft Office 2010 versions or later. Older versions do not have "Protected View" mode that prevents downloaded files (such as email attachments) from proliferating (downloading and installing) viruses and infecting computers. If you have already opened a "BMO Account Report Email Virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "BMO Account Report Email Virus" email message:
Subject: Alert: Important BMO Account Report
RE: BMO Account Report
On October 22, 2018 we received a letter from FCIB, MBA. We included in this email copies of the quarterly statements issued for the period June 21, 2018 to September 2018. The document describes notes placed in a locked pension protected by the Canada Pension Standart Act 1985, for more information please check documents included in this email.
Sincerely,
Tim Irenblay
Malicious attachment distributed via "BMO Account Report Email Virus" spam campaign:
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 "BMO Account Report Email Virus"?
- STEP 1. Manual removal of TrickBot 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 the 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, be sure to 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!
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