Scam disguised as a message from Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL

What is "Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL Email Virus"?

Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL is the name of a legitimate company, however, scammers use it within a scam to trick people into opening a file attached to email messages. In many cases, scammers use names of legitimate companies to make their emails seem official, important, and so on.

In this case, they use this scam to proliferate the HawkEye keystroke logger. We strongly advise against opening the attached file, since it can lead to installation of software that is used to steal personal details.

Scammers present this scam as a message relating to payment advice, which can apparently be reviewed by opening the file that is archived in the "ENQUIRY SHEET&PAYMENT ADVICE.pdf.zip" file.

In fact, this ZIP archive contains an executable (.exe) file that, if opened, installs HawkEye (malicious software that cyber criminals use to record keystrokes, various credentials, and other sensitive data). The information can be used to steal details from email clients, various messaging apps, web browsers, and other programs.

Additionally, the data might be used to copy information stored on the user's clipboard and also record information entered into text files such as .txt, .doc, and .docx. The stolen details can then be used to access various accounts and make fraudulent purchases, transactions, trick other people into sending funds, and so on.

Therefore, people with computers infected with HawkEye might experience problems relating to their privacy and finances. Cyber criminals employ these programs to steal details that can be used to generate revenue in various ways. To avoid this situation, remove HawkEye from the system immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL spam
Threat Type	Trojan, Password-stealing virus, Banking malware, Keylogger.
Hoax	Cyber criminals pose as employees of the Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL company and send malicious email attachments disguised as payment advice documents.
Attachment(s)	ENQUIRY SHEET&PAYMENT ADVICE.pdf.zip (extracts to ENQUIRY SHEET&PAYMENT ADVICE.pdf.exe)
Detection Names (ENQUIRY SHEET&PAYMENT ADVICE.pdf.exe)	Avast (FileRepMetagen [Malware]), BitDefender (AIT:Trojan.AutoIT.Agent.YC), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/Injector.Autoit.EIH), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.Script.Generic), 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	HawkEye
Distribution methods	Infected email attachments, malicious online advertisements, social engineering, software 'cracks'.
Damage	Stolen banking information, passwords, 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.

Many email scams are used to trick people into installing malicious software. Other examples are "Indofuels Email Virus", "Transcoal Pacific Email Virus", and "Transfast Email Virus". In most cases, they attach malicious files and hope that recipients open them.

They might also include web links, which lead to download of malicious files. More examples of malware that cyber criminals distribute via emails include FormBook, LokiBot, Adwind, and TrickBot.

How did "Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL Email Virus" infect my computer?

Scammers send emails and attach "ENQUIRY SHEET&PAYMENT ADVICE.pdf.zip", which is an archive file containing an .exe (executable) file. If executed, this .exe file installs HawkEye. Note that the file cannot cause any damage unless recipients open/execute it.

The same applies to other files that cyber criminals attach to their emails. Other examples of files used to proliferate malware via emails are Microsoft Office, PDF documents, and JavaScript files. In any case, none of the attachments or files that recipients download through these links can infect computers unless they open them.

How to avoid installation of malware

Do not open web links or files that are included in suspicious emails. Typically, these are irrelevant and are sent from unknown addresses. To keep computers safe from infection with malware, update installed programs only through tools or functions designed by official developers.

Third party tools can be designed to proliferate malicious software. If an installed program requires payment, it should be activated properly. Unofficial activation ('cracking') tools are often used to distribute malware. Furthermore, using them to activate paid software is illegal.

All files and programs should be downloaded from official websites - other sources/channels such as Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule), unofficial websites, third party downloaders, etc., should not be trusted. Cyber criminals often use them to proliferate malicious software.

Finally, have reputable anti-virus or anti-spyware software installed and scan the operating system with it regularly. If you have already opened the "Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL Email Virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL Email Virus" email message:

Subject: ENQUIRY SHEET/ PAYMENT ADVICE

Attachment: ENQUIRY SHEET&PAYMENT ADVICE.pdf.zip

Hello,

We spoke with your colleague on the phone and we were asked to contact you., kindly submit your revised offer
based on technical clarification.

Also please be informed that the payment terms in your previous offer is 45 days from the date of invoice.
Kindly check and provide the confirmation of acceptance at the earliest.

Awaiting your immediate reply.

Thanks

JUBY MATHEW
PIPELINE SUPPLIES & SERVICES CO.WLL
Tel: 4444-4438 ; Fax: 4444-4483
E-Mail; juby@pipelineqatar.com; juby@pipelineqatar.com.qa
Mob; +974-55688162
Doha-Qatar
www.pipelineqatar.com

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Quick menu:

• What is Pipeline Supplies & Services CO.WLL spam?
• 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.

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