Do not open a file distributed via Your Address Is Invalid email

What is Your address is invalid email virus?

It is common that cybercriminals distribute malware by pretending to be legitimate companies and attaching a malicious file or including a malicious link in their emails. Typically, they claim that the attached file is an important document (e.g., invoice, purchase order) and persuade recipients into opening it.

This email is disguised as a letter from FedEx regarding a wrong delivery address. It has an archive file containing a malicious Microsoft Office document designed to install Qakbot attached to it.

Cybercriminals behind this email claim that shipment address is invalid and encourage to enter the correct address in the malicious Excel document that can be extracted from the attached ZIP file. Their main goal is to trick recipients into opening a malicious document designed to install Qakbot - a trojan designed to steal sensitive information.

Qakbot targets login credentials (usernames, email addresses, passwords) used to log into bank accounts. It is known that this trojan records keyboard input (logs keystrokes), collects browsing data, cookies, and sends obtained information to a remote server controlled by cybercriminals.

Usually, data that malware like Qakbot collects is used to steal accounts, identities, make unauthorized/fraudulent purchases, transactions. Since Qakbot can log keystrokes, it could be used to steal various accounts (email, social media, etc.).

It is important to know that one stolen account could lead to a loss of multiple accounts. Although, only when users use the same login credentials for more than one online account.

In conclusion, opening the Excel document extracted from a ZIP file attached to this email can lead to identity theft, loss of access to personal accounts, money, and other serious problems. Therefore, files and links in emails like this one must not be opened.

Threat Summary:

Name	Your Address Is Invalid spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	File attached to the email contains a document that has to be used to enter the correct shipping address
Attachment(s)	7757229737-04212021.zip (its name may vary)
Detection Names (7757229737-04212021.xlsm)	AegisLab (Trojan.MSOffice.SAgent.4!c), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.36765619), ESET-NOD32 (Multiple Detections), McAfee (Downloader-FCEI!8CF19B34A344), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/Phonzy.B!ml), 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	Qakbot
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

It is common for email to be used by cybercriminals as a channel to deliver their malware. More examples of malspam campaigns used to distribute malicious software via links or files in emails are "NOTICE OF ACCOUNT CLOSURE FOR AUDIT", "OCEANIC PROJECTS", and "Seojoong Logistics DMCC".

It is important to remember that very often cybercriminals use logos of legitimate companies and (or) names of existing people in their emails to make their emails look more trustworthy. A couple examples of malware that is distributed using email are NanoCore, FormBook, and LokiBot.

How did "Your address is invalid email virus" infect my computer?

This particular email has ZIP file attached to it. This archive file contains a malicious 7757229737-04212021.xlsm file (its name may be different in other emails belonging to the same malspam campaign). It installs malware (Qakbot) if it gets a permission to enable macros commands (editing/content).

Although, if opened with Microsoft Office version that was released prior to the year 2010, this document does not ask to enable macros commands - it installs malware after opening it. It is important to mention that MS Excel files are not the only files that cybercriminals attach to their emails.

It is common that other files like Microsoft Word or PDF documents, archive files like RAR, executable files like EXE, JavaScript files are used to deliver malware too.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Irrelevant emails received from a suspicious, unknown addresses should not be trusted. Especially if they contain some attachment or website link. As a rule, emails of this kind are used to deliver malware. As metioned in one of the previous paragraphs, most of those emails are disguised as letters from legitimate companies.

Software should be downloaded only from official web pages and via direct download links. Files, programs downloaded via Peer-to-Peer networks, third-party downloaders , unofficial pages, etc., or installed via third-party installers can be malicious.

All installed software must be updated or activated properly: it has to be achieved using implemented functions or tools that official software developers provide. Also, it is illegal to activate licensed software with various third-party tools.

And finally, it is important to regularly scan the operating system for threats with a reputable antivirus or anti-spyware suite and remove them once the scan is completed. If you've already opened "Your address is invalid email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Your address is invalid email virus" email letter:

Subject: Your shipment address is invalid

Your address is invalid.
Tracking ID: 5707603023
Date: 4.21.21
Email : rsemro@landadvisors.com
Status: Needs customer's verification
Reason: Your delivery address contains a bad value.
It may be caused by different formats that are used in e-shops.
 
Please, check the attached document, fill in the form and send it back.
 
FеⅾEⅹ 1995-2021 Copyright, All rights reserved.

Malicious attachment distributed via Your address is invalid malspam campaign:

A Lithuanian variant of "Your Address Is Invalid" spam email promoting a phishing site:

Text presented within:

Subject: Pristatymo sutrikimas

 

LPEXPRESS

Mes negalėjome pristatyti jūsų siuntos dėl adreso klaidos, turite patvirtinti savo pristatymo adresą ir sumokėti, kad siunta būtų pristatyta jums kuo greičiau

Mokestis:€ 1,90
Data: 2022-05-16

-

Ši nuoroda nustos galioti praėjus 3 dienoms nuo išsiuntimo.

LP EXPRESS savitarna
Siuntimo paslaugos vienoje vietoje!

Paruoškite siuntą > Siųskite Jums patogiausiu būdu > Stebėkite ir valdykite siuntas

AB Lietuvos paštas

Screenshot of the promoted phishing site:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is Your Address Is Invalid spam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

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