Avoid malware infections caused by "Advance Payment Received" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
(updated)
What is the "Advance Payment Received" scam email?
"Advance Payment Received" is a spam email campaign. This term refers to a mass-scale operation, during which thousands of deceptive emails are sent. The messages sent through this spam campaign are presented as notifications concerning a purchase order.
Note that "Advance Payment Received" emails are fake and none of the information provided by them is genuine. The purposes of these messages is to proliferate Zloader malware.
The emails with the subject/title "Advance Payment Received and Pre-processed" (this may vary) inform recipients that their payment deposits have been received and that the items, which recipients have supposedly ordered, will soon be scheduled for delivery.
To create the impression of legitimacy, the messages are concluded with mentions of a genuine global conglomerate (Cox Enterprises, Inc.), which that deals in automotive service, communication and media industries. The file attached to these scam emails ("dep_det_3444608.docm" - the filename may vary") supposedly contains the order details.
These messages are not associated with Cox Enterprises, Inc. and the attachments do not contain the promised information. Instead, upon opening, the infectious file initiates download/installation of the Zloader malicious program. Therefore, you are strongly advised against trusting any "Advance Payment Received" scam emails.
The main functionality of Zloader malware is infiltrating and executing files on infected devices. I.e., it can download and install additional malicious programs. At the time of research, Zloader infected systems with the Zeus banking Trojan. This piece of malicious software is designed to steal information relating to banking/finances.
Zeus does this by alternating certain content in banking and online-payment-related websites in order to obtain users' account log-in credentials (i.e. IDs, usernames and passwords). Other features facilitating Zeus malware's goal is taking screenshots and extracting information copied into the clipboard.
In addition, this malicious program can cause chain infections (e.g. download/install other Trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).
In summary, by trusting "Advance Payment Received" emails, users can experience serious system infections, privacy issues, financial loss, and identity theft. Therefore, if it is suspected/known that Zloader (or other malware) has already infected the system, use anti-virus software to eliminate it without delay.
| Name | Zloader virus |
| Threat Type | Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware. |
| Hoax | Scam emails are presented as notifications concerning a successfully paid order. |
| Attachment(s) | dep_det_3444608.docm |
| Detection Names | Fortinet (VBA/Agent.CBE1!tr.dldr), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.36202753), Tencent (Heur.Macro.Generic.j.13cde608), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-Downloader.MSOffice.SLoad.gen), Microsoft (TrojanDownloader:O97M/ZLoader.VH!MSR), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Trojans are designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine. |
| Payload | Zloader |
| Distribution methods | Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'. |
| Damage | Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the 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 Combo Cleaner. |
"BRT Email Virus", "DHL Failed Delivery Notification", "Bill Of Lading" and "Order Confirmation" are some examples of other malware-spreading spam campaigns. Emails distributed through these operations are usually presented as "official", "urgent", "priority", "important", and similar.
Note that scam emails are not used exclusively to proliferate malicious programs, they are also employed for phishing and other scams. Due to the relative prevalence of spam mail, exercise caution with incoming emails.
How did "Advance Payment Received" email infect my computer?
Systems are often infected via malicious files distributed through spam campaigns. These files can be attached and/or linked inside the emails. Infectious files can be in various formats (e.g. Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archive and executable files, JavaScript, etc.).
When these files are executed, run or otherwise opened, the infection process (i.e. malware download/installation) is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents (e.g. "Invoice_24077.xlsb") cause infections by executing malicious macro commands.
In Microsoft Office versions released prior to 2010, malware download/installation begins when an infectious document is opened, however, newer versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic execution of macros. Instead, users are asked to enable macro commands (i.e., to enable editing/content) and hence infection processes can only be started by manually enabling macros.
How to avoid installation of malware
To avoid malware spread via spam mail, you are strongly advised against opening suspicious or irrelevant emails, especially those with any attachments or links present within them.
Additionally, use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010. Malicious programs also proliferate through untrusted download channels (e.g. unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders), illegal software activation ("cracking") tools, and fake updaters.
Therefore, only download from official/verified sources and activate and update software with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers.
To ensure device integrity and user privacy, have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and kept updated. Furthermore, use these programs to run regular system scans and to remove detected/potential threats.
If you have already opened "Advance Payment Received email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Advance Payment Received" scam email message:
Subject: Advance Payment Received and Pre-processed
Good afternoon!
We have received and checked the deposit payment you sent.
Soon your odered items will be scheduled for delivery.
Please Await the delivery info.
Thanks for the interest!
Cox Enterprises Inc
6205-A Peachtree Dunwoody Rd,
Atlanta, Georgia, 30328,
United States
Toll free: +1 (678) 645-1897x738
Malicious attachment distributed via "Advance Payment Received" spam campaign ("dep_det_3444608.docm"):
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Advance Payment Received email virus"?
- STEP 1. Manual removal of Zloader 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 Combo Cleaner Antivirus 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 "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 Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
Outstanding!
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