Avoid fake work application emails that proliferate malware
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "CV Email Virus"?
"CV Email Virus" is a spam campaign designed to proliferate ZLoader malware. The term "spam campaign" is used to define a large scale operation, during which deceptive emails are sent by the thousand. The messages distributed in the "CV Email Virus" spam campaign are presented as work applications.
The attached malicious Excel spreadsheet supposedly contains the CV, however, when opened, it initiates download/installation of ZLoader malware. This malicious program infect devices with additional malware and typically injects systems with the Zeus banking Trojan.
"CV Email Virus" overview
The emails with the title/subject "Regarding position" begin with a greeting and introduction from the alleged sender: "Woodrow Swiney". The sender claims to be interested in a work position at "TA Appliance". This is the name of a legitimate business, offering major appliances and barbecues in Canada (Kitchener, Barrie, Brantford, Mississauga and Toronto).
It is stated in the emails that the attached file is the CV of the applicant and that the document's password is "1234". The message is signed off by "Woodrow Swiney", resident of Kitchener, Ontario.
The fake CV is an Excel spreadsheet, which when opened attempts to trick users into enabling malicious macro commands - these trigger the infection process of ZLoader malware. The dangerous document states that if users cannot view its content, they are to open it in Microsoft Office, as previewing online is not available for protected files.
Users are also informed that such documents cannot be opened on mobile devices or tablets - this is merely an attempt to ensure that the targeted devices are compatible with ZLoader. Users are then instructed to enable editing/content - doing so will start download/installation of the malicious program.
ZLoader malware's main functionality is to cause chain infections. Usually, this malware infects systems with the Zeus banking Trojan, however, it is possible that it might inject different Trojans, or ransomware, cryptominers and other malicious software. To elaborate on the behavior of the Zeus Trojan, it targets banking information: account numbers, log-ins, IDs, passwords, etc.
In summary, trusting "CV Email Virus" messages can lead to financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. If it is suspected or known that ZLoader, Zeus or other malware has already infected the system, use anti-virus software to eliminate it immediately.
| Name | CV spam |
| Threat Type | Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware. |
| Hoax | Emails are disguised as work applications |
| Attachment(s) | Woodrow Swiney CV.xls |
| Detection Names | ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Generik.MZAWJOU), McAfee (X97M/Downloader!5976B3F04C22), Comodo (Malware@#2dn2e7dibo7ir), Ikarus (Trojan.VBA.Agent), 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 | ZLoader |
| 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
"Credit Card Refund", "AKHIL Healthcare", "SARS eFiling" and "U.S Department of Labor" are some examples of other spam campaigns that spread malware. These emails are typically presented as "urgent", "important", "official", and might be disguised as mail from genuine organizations, institutions, companies, service providers and so on.
Proliferation of malicious content is not the only purpose of spam campaigns - phishing and other scams are common as well. Regardless of what these messages claim, offer, request, or demand, their purpose is identical: to generate revenue for the scammers/cyber criminals behind them.
How did "CV Email Virus" infect my computer?
Systems are infected through malicious files sent in spam campaigns. The infectious files can be attached to the emails or, alternatively, the messages can contain download links to malicious content. These files can be in various formats such as Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, etc.
When they are executed, run, or otherwise opened, the infection process starts. For example, MS Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands.
When opening the document, users are asked to enable macros (i.e., to enable editing/content), however, in Microsoft Office versions released before 2010, the infection process begins automatically (as macro commands are executed immediately the document is opened in the older versions).
How to avoid installation of malware
Do not open suspicious or irrelevant emails, especially those with any attachments or links found in them, as this can result in a serious system infection. Use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010, since newer versions have "Protected View" mode, which prevents malicious macro commands from being executed when a document is opened.
Malware is proliferated using various methods, not just via spam campaigns. Other popular distribution techniques include untrusted download sources (e.g. unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders), illegal activation ("cracking") tools and fake updaters.
Therefore, it is important to use only official/verified download channels, and to activate and update products with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers.
To ensure device integrity and user safety, have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and kept updated. Use this software for regular system scans and to remove detected/potential threats. If you have already opened "CV Email Virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "CV Email Virus" message:
Subject: Regarding position
Good Morning,
I'm Woodrow Swiney and I'm interested in a position at TA Appliance.
I think I would be a wonderful to your business.
I've added a copy of my CV.
Password is 1234
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
--
Woodrow Swiney
Kitchener, ON
Malicious attachment distributed via "CV Email Virus" spam campaign:
Screenshot of yet another CV-themed spam email used to spread malware (in this case, IcedID trojan) via an attached MS Word document:
Text presented within:
Subject: Here's my summary once again
Hi, I've attached my resumefor an available position at your company.
Screenshot of the attached document:
Screenshot of yet another CV-themed spam email used to spread a malicious MS Word document, which is designed to inject IcedID Trojan into the system:
Text presented within:
Subject: A kindly reminder that I did not receive your response yet
Good afternoon, Here is my resume once again, I hope you will contact me as soon as possible.
Screenshot of the attached MS Word document:
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Quick menu:
- What is CV 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did I receive this email?
Spam emails are not personal, even if they do contain relevant details. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in massive operations – therefore, thousands of users receive identical messages.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, reading an email is harmless in itself. Systems are compromised via malicious attachments or links; infection chains are triggered when they are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats may need additional actions to begin downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded files/links, etc.).
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices and remove threats. It is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. Note that performing a complete system scan is paramount since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.
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