How to avoid malware in the the fake "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK" email

What kind of email is "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK"?

We examined this email and uncovered that the sender disguised it as a letter from Atlantis Translogistik, a freight forwarding service company in North Jakarta. Additionally, the email includes two harmful attachments used to distribute malware. Therefore, recipients are advised to ignore the email and not open its contents.

More abou the "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK" malspam campaign

This letter is a fake request for a quotation (RFQ) supposedly addressed to a supplier or vendor. The letter informs the recipient that the sender is in the process of procurement and has sent a Request for Quotation via ShipServ. The additional data mentioned in the ShipServ inquiry is attached to the letter.

This email also states that specific requirements have been outlined in the attachment and requests the recipient to read all the instructions before submitting the quotation. It has "RFQ 28022023_02.img" and "RFQ 28022023.pdf" files attached to it (the names of these files may vary).

The PDF attachment features an embedded hyperlink labeled "Open," which redirects to a website that downloads a harmful executable. The nature of the malware distributed via this campaign remains uncertain, but the perpetrators probably seek to deceive recipients into activating ransomware, crypto-mining malware, some Trojan, or other malicious software.

Ransomware is malware that encrypts files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption tool to restore the files. Crypto-mining malware is malicious software that secretly uses a victim's computer resources to mine cryptocurrencies.

A Trojan can perform various malicious activities, such as stealing sensitive data, modifying files, monitoring keystrokes, controlling the victim's device remotely, and opening a backdoor for other malware.

Threat Summary:

Name	ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK malspam campaign
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware, ransomware.
Disguise	Letter from Atlantis Translogistik
Attachment(s)	RFQ 28022023.pdf, RFQ 28022023_02.img (their names may vary)
Detection Names (RFQ 28022023.pdf)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Detection Names (RFQ 28022023_02.img)	Avast (Win32:DropperX-gen [Drp]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.65711045), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/TrojanDownloader.Tiny.CEB), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-Spy.MSIL.Noon.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:MSIL/AgenTesla.RRB), 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	Undetermined malware
Distribution methods	Infected email attachments, social engineering.
Damage	Stolen passwords and banking information, identity theft, the victim's computer added to a botnet, data and monetary loss, and more.
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.

Malspam campaigns in general

Malspam campaigns (spam emails used to deliver malware) often use social engineering tactics to deceive recipients into opening malicious attachment or clicking on links, such as posing as a legitimate business or government agency.

Some common characteristics of malspam campaigns include using fake or spoofed email addresses, urgent or sensational subject lines, and persuasive language to entice recipients to take action. Examples of emails that contain malicious files or links are "Ziraat Bankasi Email Virus", "IGP Legal Email Virus", and "Kuwait Airways Email Virus".

How did "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK" infect my computer?

In this malspam campaing, an email contains two attachments: "RFQ 28022023_02.img" and "RFQ 28022023.pdf". It has been determined that the PDF attachment contains a hyperlink that directs the recipient to a website hosting a harmful executable. Once the executable is downloaded from the malicious site and executed on the victim's computer, it becomes infected with malware.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Carefully examine suspicious emails, such as those from unfamiliar senders or with irrelevant content, and avoid opening any links or files within them. Email is a common conduit for malware distribution. Ensure that the operating system and installed software are up to date. Download software only from reputable channels, such as official websites and stores.

Do not trust ads and pop-ups on shady websites or agree to receive notifications from such pages. If you've already opened "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK" email letter:

Subject: Request for Quotation - RFQ

Dear Sir,

We are in the process of procurement and we have sent you our
Request for Quotation via ShipServ.Attached, please find
additional data, as announced in our ShipServ enquiry. Specific
requirements have been spelled out in the attachment.

Kindly read all the instruction before submitting your quotation.

Thanks for your attention and cooperation.Dharma (Ms.)
PT. ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK
Jl. Griya Sejahtera Blok C No.1, Jakarta Utara 14350 - Indonesia
Tel : +62-21 2976 5577 ext. : 111 |  Fax: +62-21 2976 5377Web
: hxxp://www.atlantis-translogistik.com

Malicious attachment distributed via "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK malspam campaign?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Cybercriminals often send malspam emails to large numbers of email addresses at random in the hopes that some recipients will fall victim to their tactics. Their emails are not personal.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?

The PDF file attached to this email contains a link to a website that hosts malware. The PDF document itself cannot infect a computer. The attached ISO file can cause harm to a computer if it contains malicious code.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

If you received an email with a suspicious attachment and did not open it, your computer is not infected with malware. However, it is still recommended that you delete the email and its attachments without opening them.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Running a full system scan with Combo Cleaner is essential, as high-end malware typically hides deep within the system. Combo Cleaner is adept at identifying and eradicating almost all known malware infections.

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