How to identify malicious emails like "Booking.com Reservation Confirmation"

What is "Booking.com Reservation Confirmation Email Virus"?

We have reviewed the email and found that it contains a fake message regarding a hotel reservation for a group. It contains a link designed to download a malicious script file. Thus, we conclude that this fraudulent email is likely used to deliver malware. Recipients should ignore this message to avoid computer infections and other issues.

More about the fake "Booking.com Reservation Confirmation" email

The email pretends to be a legitimate message regarding a group reservation allegedly made through Booking.com. It asks the recipient to confirm the reservation details, verify payment status, and review a group guest list through the provided link. The message also includes a sender name and phone number to seem legitimate.

However, the link in this email is untrustworthy, as it downloads a malicious script file. This file may be used to deliver various types of malware, including ransomware, information stealers, keyloggers, or cryptocurrency miners. Executing the malware delivered through this fraudulent email can cause various problems.

Victims may have their files encrypted or information (e.g., passwords or credit card details) stolen. Also, cybercriminals may be able to steal identities, hijack accounts, mine cryptocurrency using the resources of the infected device, and perform other malicious actions.

Thus, it is important to recognize deceptive emails to avoid malware infiltration and other threats.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this email is designed to spread malware through a malicious link. Opening the file can lead to data theft, system damage, or other serious security issues. Such emails should be ignored and deleted to avoid infection. More examples of scam emails are "Your Webmail Account Is Inactive Email Scam", "cPanel Mailbox Settings Might Need An Update Email Scam", and "Amazon - Your Package Was Delivered Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Fraudulent emails can contain malicious attachments disguised as legitimate files, such as documents, PDFs, executables, or compressed archives. Although they appear harmless, these files can hide malware that infects a system once they are opened or after the user completes additional actions.

These emails can also contain links that redirect users to malicious websites, where malware may be downloaded automatically or where users are deceived into downloading and running it themselves. In most situations, an infection occurs only after the user interacts with a harmful link or file.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be careful when receiving unexpected emails or messages from unknown senders, and never click on embedded links or open their attachments. Avoid interacting with pop-ups, ads, buttons, or links on untrusted websites, and download software only from official sources or reputable app stores.

Never use pirated software, cracks, or keygens. Additionally, keep your operating system and installed applications up to date and regularly scan your device with trusted security software.

Text presented in the "Booking.com Reservation Confirmation Email Virus" email letter:

Subject: Group Reservation Confirmation Request

Dear Hotel Team,

We have made a group reservation at your hotel through Booking.com.

Could you please confirm our reservation and review the group guest list provided in the attachment below?

Download Booking Guest List

We also kindly ask you to confirm that this booking has been paid by the agent

and that the guests will not be charged directly for accommodation at the hotel.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Thank you for your assistance. We look forward to your confirmation.

Kind Regards,

Rachael Kim

084 765 9088

Detection list for the distributed file:

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Quick menu:

• What is Fake Booking.com reservation confirmation 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?

Cybercriminals distribute identical messages to large numbers of people, hoping at least one recipient will be deceived. These emails are not personalized.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by a scam email, what should I do?

Anyone who has revealed account credentials should reset their passwords immediately. If personal or financial information was exposed, relevant institutions should be notified as soon as possible.

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

If the file is an executable or a script file, an infection is very likely. However, if it is a document such as a PDF or Word file, the system may not be infected, as opening a document alone is sometimes not sufficient for malware to run.

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

An email itself cannot infect a device. Systems can be compromised when links or attachments are opened.

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

Combo Cleaner is able to detect and eliminate the vast majority of malware infections, but sophisticated threats may remain hidden, making a complete scan necessary.