Avoid getting scammed by fake "LEDGER SECURITY" emails

What kind of email is "LEDGER SECURITY"?

Upon inspection, we determined that "LEDGER SECURITY" is spam. This fake email states that a security vulnerability has been discovered on the recipient's Ledger hardware cryptocurrency wallet. This spam mail promotes a phishing website that targets wallet log-in credentials.

"LEDGER SECURITY" email scam overview

The "LEDGER SECURITY" scam email urges the recipient to scan their Ledger cryptocurrency wallet. Ledger Live's previous and current versions have several security issues, and a software vulnerability has been discovered on hardware wallets. The recipient is encouraged to scan their cryptowallet to determine whether it is vulnerable to exploitation and cryptocurrency theft.

It must be stressed that all these claims are false, and this mail is not associated with Ledger or any other legitimate entities, services, or products.

When we visited the promoted website, this phishing page ran a bogus "Authentication check" that claimed the scanned Ledger device's memory was corrupted and the software had been tampered with. Attempting to restore the wallet prompts the webpage to ask for its credentials – i.e., the recovery phrase.

The phishing site will record entered information and send it to scammers. Disclosing the recovery passphrase can result in the cryptowallet getting stolen. Hence, victims of this scam can experience significant financial losses. Furthermore, due to the untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions – they are practically irreversible.

Threat Summary:

Name	"LEDGER SECURITY" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Security issues and vulnerabilities have been detected on Ledger; the recipient is urged to scan their wallet to ensure its safety.
Disguise	Ledger
Related Domains	nano-scan[.]com
Detection Names (nano-scan[.]com)	Avira (Phishing), Cluster25 (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), Emsisoft (Phishing), Kaspersky (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (nano-scan[.]com)	172.67.163.182
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
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.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have analyzed thousands of spam emails; "Glacier Bank email scam", "Security Info Was Added", and "DHL - Outstanding Payment" are merely a couple examples of phishing letters. They can seek a wide variety of information, but the primary targets include log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related data.

However, other scams are facilitated through spam as well, and it is used to distribute malware. Due to how prevalent spam messages are and how competently crafted they can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, etc.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are widely used in malware proliferation. These emails/messages can have malicious files attached to or linked inside them. Virulent files come in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once opened, an infectious file initiates the malware download/installation chain. However, some formats can require extra actions to jumpstart these processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is important to treat incoming emails and other messages with care. We advise against opening attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be malicious. We recommend using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro command execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not spread only through spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. This software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove 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 "LEDGER SECURITY" spam email letter:

[LEDGER]

[LEDGER SECURITY]

SCAN YOUR DEVICE ONLINE

Several security issues have been reported in previous (and current versions) of Ledger Live, there has also been a vulnerability found in some specific Ledger software used on physical Ledger devices.

It is highly recommended that you run our easy web-scan to detect whether or not your specific versions of Ledger Live & Ledger are susceptible to being exploited and potentially your crypto being stolen by a third party.

Step 1: Open a secure web browser
Step 2: Visit nano-scan[.]com

OR, SCAN THE QR CODE

Appearance of the phishing website promoted by the "LEDGER SECURITY" spam campaign (GIF):

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 "LEDGER SECURITY" phishing email?
• 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, despite any relevant details that they may include. This mail is distributed in massive operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical messages.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords/passphrases of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, opening/reading an email is harmless. 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 your system was infected may depend on the format of the opened file. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – an infection occurred. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). Formats of this kind may require additional user interaction to initiate malware download/installation chains (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan computers and eliminate all manner of threats. It can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. Note that running a full system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.

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