How to recognize scams like "Hotel Room Upgrade Email Virus"

What is "Hotel Room Upgrade" email virus?

Our team has inspected the message and found that it is disguised as a legitimate honeymoon-related customer service request. However, it contains a link designed to download a malicious file. Interacting with the downloaded file can result in a system infection. Thus, recipients should ignore this message.

More about the "Hotel Room Upgrade" scam email

This email appears to be from a guest who recently booked the hotel as part of a vacation package. It says that the sender requests a complimentary room upgrade to make the stay more special and memorable. Also, the message claims that the sender would be grateful if an upgrade is available and asks to be informed of any relevant details.

The provided link, if clicked, triggers a download of a malicious JavaScript file. The type of malware hidden in this file is currently unknown. However, it could be designed to silently download additional malicious payloads (infect computers with more malware), collect sensitive data (e.g., passwords and credit card details) from the infected device, or encrypt files on the victim's device.

Also, the distributed malware may be capable of providing remote control over the infected system, mining cryptocurrency, or performing other malicious actions. Thus, it is highly advisable to ignore this email, as falling for it could result in various issues, including financial and data loss, identity theft, and other consequences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the email is a fraudulent attempt to trick the recipient into downloading malware. Interacting with the link could compromise the device and lead to serious issues. Recipients should ignore the message and avoid clicking any links to prevent potential harm.

More examples of similar scams are "Login Notice: Review Immediately Email Virus", "FedEx Express - Your Shipments Were Received Email Virus", and "Voyage Travels & Tours Reservation Email Virus".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Threat actors distribute emails that include malicious attachments or links to deceive users into compromising their devices. Usually, they send infected Word, Excel, or PDF documents, or ZIP or RAR archives containing malicious files, scripts, or executables. When a user opens the file or enables features like document macros, malware is launched.

Cybercriminals also use links that lead to fraudulent or misleading websites. In some cases, simply accessing these sites can trigger an automatic malware download. In others, the site may trick visitors into downloading malware themselves.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be careful when dealing with unexpected or irrelevant emails and messages, particularly if they include attachments or links. Do not click on suspicious advertisements, pop-ups, or links found on untrustworthy websites, and never allow such sites to send you notifications.

Get programs only from official websites or reputable app stores, and avoid pirated software, cracks, or unauthorized activation tools. Make sure your operating system and applications are regularly updated, and perform routine scans using dependable security software.

Text presented in the "Hotel Room Upgrade" email letter:

Subject: Honeymoon Reservation

Dear Sir or Madam,

My fiancé and I have recently booked your hotel as part of our vacation package.
As this trip will also be our honeymoon, we would truly appreciate it if it were possible to upgrade our room to make our stay even more special and memorable.
If an upgrade is available, we would be very grateful for your assistance. Please feel free to inform us of any relevant details.
Thank you very much in advance for your help. below is our booking confirmation

Kind regards,

shaily

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Quick menu:

• What is Hotel Room Upgrade 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?

Most scam emails are delivered to multiple recipients simultaneously and they are rarely personalized. The email addresses are often sourced from data breaches or deceptive websites.

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

Update the passwords on all accounts that might be affected and contact your bank or relevant authorities if any financial information may have been compromised.

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

Malicious executable files, such as .exe files, can infect a device as soon as they are opened. Other files, like documents, typically pose a risk only if the user takes additional actions. Therefore, the chance of infection depends on both the type of file and the user's actions.

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

Opening a fraudulent email by itself is generally safe. Malware can only compromise your device if you click on links or download and open attachments.

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

Combo Cleaner can eliminate most threats, but running a full system scan is recommended to uncover hidden or more sophisticated malware.