Avoid infecting your device with malware via "Company Contact" email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Company Contact"?
After inspecting the "Company Contact" email, we determined that it is malspam. This fake business-related email contains a malicious attachment. The file distributed through this spam mail is designed to infect recipients' devices with the FormBook malware.
"Company Contact" email virus overview
The spam email with the subject "Purchase Order" (may vary) states that as per previous communications between the recipient's and the sender's companies, the latter is about to make a purchase with the former. According to the letter, the details of the supposed order can be located in the attachment.
As previously mentioned, all the information provided by the "Company Contact" email is false. Hence, the file distributed through this letter is intended to infect systems with an information-stealing malware upon being opened. More information on this malicious program can be found in our article on FormBook malware.
To summarize, by trusting a letter like "Company Contact" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you believe that your device is infected with FormBook (or other malware) – immediately perform a complete system scan with an anti-virus and eliminate all detected threats.
| Name | "Company Contact" malspam |
| Threat Type | Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware. |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's company is about to receive an order from a company they have previously communicated with. |
| Attachment(s) | PO 152421.gz (filename may vary) |
| Detection Names | Avast (Win32:InjectorX-gen [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.65602781), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/Injector.ESSC), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Agent.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/Leonem), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Payload | FormBook |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Malspam campaign examples
We have inspected thousands of spam emails; "ATLANTIS TRANS LOGISTIK email virus", "Ziraat Bankasi email virus", and "IGP Legal email virus" are just a few examples of letters used to proliferate malware.
Various malicious programs, ranging from trojans to ransomware, are distributed via spam mail. In addition to spreading malware, deceptive letters facilitate phishing and other scams. These emails can be variously disguised, including as messages from legitimate companies, corporations, organizations, service providers, authorities, and other entities.
Due to how widespread and well-made spam mail can be – we highly recommend being careful with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns distribute malware via infectious files attached to or linked inside the emails. These files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, GZ, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.
When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the malware download/installation process is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands, while infectious OneNote files need users to click on embedded files or links.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. We advise against opening the attachments and links found in suspect/irrelevant mail, as they can be malicious and cause infections.
Another recommendation is to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.
However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, download only from official and verified sources. Additionally, activate and update software using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.
Furthermore, be vigilant when browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears ordinary and harmless.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to eliminate threats and issues. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Company Contact" spam email letter:
Subject: Purchase Order
Dear sales ,
Good morning!
Our company has been in contact with your company before and now we're looking forward to purchase the following product.
Please see attached file and please send me acceptance order as specified.
Thanks and Best Regards
Best Regards,
Shabihah Veero
Purchase Coordinator
Wasthi FZ LLE
Ind. 12, Sharjah,, UAE
Tel: +9716-5100992
Mobile: 052-3300791
Email: coordinator@wasthi.net
Web: www.wasthi.net
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 "Company Contact" malspam?
- 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?
Spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Merely reading an email will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether the system was infected might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes. However, documents (.doc, .xls, .one, pdf, etc.) might require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking on embedded content, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and remove threats. It is capable of eliminating nearly all known malware infections. Note that since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems – performing a complete system scan is essential.
Outstanding!
▼ Show Discussion