Do not trust fake "National Bank of Greece" emails that spread malware

What is the fake "National Bank of Greece" email?

The "National Bank of Greece" email is a deceptive message distributed in large numbers via operations called "spam campaigns". These particular scam emails target Greek users.

The messages supposedly concern bank transfer proposals and have a transaction receipt attached to them, however, upon opening, the attached file triggers download/installation of the NanoCore RAT (Remote Access Trojan). This type of malware allows remote access and control over the infected system.

RATs have a wide range of functionalities, which enable likewise varied misuse of the compromised device.

The scam emails are presented as mail from the "National Bank of Greece" (Εθνική Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος). According to a rough translation, the messages claim that bank transfer proposals have been sent to the recipients' company accounts. The attached file is stated to be a transaction receipt.

To further the impression of legitimacy, the emails contain contact details and address of the bank. These messages are concluded with some sentences regarding National Bank of Greece.

It is stated that 85% of the company's pretax pre-provision profits are derived from its operations in Greece, in addition to 15% from Southeastern Europe - while this information is accurate, the messages are scams and are in no way associated with the genuine National Bank of Greece.

If the file attached to these emails is opened, the infection process of NanoCore RAT will be started. Trojans of this type have various capabilities/features.

The most common functionalities include: download/installation of additional malware (e.g. ransomware, cryptominers, etc.), data exfiltration (e.g. content stored within the device), password extraction (e.g. log-in credentials saved in browsers), keylogging (i.e. recording of key strokes), and so on.

In summary, trusting these fake "National Bank of Greece" emails can result in financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. Therefore, if it is suspected/known that NanoCore RAT (or other malware) has already infected the system, use anti-virus must software to eliminate it immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	National Bank Of Greece spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	Emails are presented as mail from the National Bank of Greece, concerning bank transfer proposals.
Detection Names (malicious attachment)	DrWeb (Trojan.Inject3.42048), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.34006465), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.WGX), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-PSW.MSIL.Agensla.gen), 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	NanoCore
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. ▼ 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.

"Black Lives Matter Email Virus", "CV Email Virus", "Credit Card Refund Email Virus" and "AKHIL Healthcare Email Virus" are some examples of other malware-proliferating spam campaigns. Deceptive/Scam emails are usually presented as "official", "important", "urgent" and similar.

They might also be disguised as mail from legitimate institutions/organizations, companies, businesses, service providers, etc. Spam campaigns are used for many types of scams, not just to spread malicious programs.

The emails can ask users to provide their personal information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, emails, log-in credentials of accounts, credit card details and other vulnerable information. They can attempt to trick recipients into paying fake fees and/or making other bogus monetary transactions.

Regardless of what this mail requests, the purpose is identical: to generate revenue for the scammers/cyber criminals responsible.

How did "National Bank of Greece Email Virus" infect my computer?

Systems are infected through malicious files distributed via spam campaigns. These files can be attached to the emails or, alternatively, the messages can contain download links to such content.

Infectious files can be in various formats (e.g. archives, executables, PDF and Microsoft Office documents, JavaScript, etc.) and when they are executed, run or otherwise opened, the infection process is initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands.

In MS Office versions released before 2010, macros are executed when a document is opened. The newer versions have "Protected View" mode, which prevents download/installation of malware being automatically started - users are asked to enable macro commands (i.e. to enable editing/content) and the infection process begins only if macros are enabled manually.

How to avoid installation of malware

You are advised against opening suspicious and/or irrelevant emails, especially those with any attachments or links found in them, as this can lead to high-risk infection. Additionally, you are advised to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010, as these have "Protected View" mode, preventing malicious macros from being executed when an infectious document is opened.

Other common malware distribution methods are via untrusted download channels (e.g. unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders), illegal activation tools ("cracks") and fake updaters. Therefore, it is important to only download from official and verified sources.

Furthermore, all programs must be activated and updated with tools/functions provided by legitimate developers. To ensure device and user safety, it is crucial to have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and kept up to date. Use this software for regular system scans and removal of detected/potential threats.

If you have already opened "National Bank of Greece Email Virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "National Bank of Greece" email message:

Subject: Μεταφορά στοιχείων

 

Χαίρετε
'Εχουμε στείλει τις προτάσεις τραπεζικής μεταφοράς στον λογαριασμό της εταιρείας σας

 

Επισυνάπτεται η απόδειξη μεταφοράς.
Χαιρετισμοί /Agnes Aetόs

 

            National Bank of Greece
Address: Leof. Ιανrίνυ 134, Glika Nera 153 54, Greece
Phone: +30 21 0863 5881
National Bank of Greece - Wikipedia

 

Η Εθνική Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος είναι μια παγκόσμια εταιρεϊα τραπεζικών και χρηματοοικονομικών υπηρεσιών με έδρα στην Αθήνα. Το 85°/ο των προπαρασκευαστικών κερδών προ της υπηρεσίας προέρχεται από τις δραστηριότητές της στην Ελλάδα, συμπληρωμένο με 15°/ο από τη Νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη

VirusTotal detections of the malicious attachment distributed via "National Bank of Greece" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is National Bank Of Greece 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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