Do not open the archive file attached to METZA malspam emails

What is METZA email virus?

Malspam emails such as this one usually contain a download link or malicious attachment. The emails can be used to deliver ransomware, Trojans, crypto miners, spyware and keyloggers, and other malware. This particular malspam message is used to deliver Agent Tesla, a Remote Administration Tool (RAT).

This email is disguised as a message regarding a request for a proposal. Its main purpose is to trick recipients into downloading and extracting a compressed archive file (7z) attached to it.

The archive file contains a malicious JavaScript file designed to install Agent Tesla. This software is a legitimate RAT, however, it is popular amongst cyber criminals who misuse it for malicious purposes.

Agent Tesla can be used to record keyboard input (log keystrokes), steal login credentials, data from email/messaging clients, particular FTP, VPN clients, and download managers. It can also be used to prevent users from accessing Task Manager, Registry, or executing commands via the Command Prompt.

Therefore, Agent Tesla could be misused to steal usernames, email addresses, passwords, credit card details, and other information, which is then employed to steal identities, make fraudulent purchases and transactions, send malspam, and trick other users into making money transactions.

Therefore, the contents of the archive file attached to this email must never be opened.

Threat Summary:

Name	METZA spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	Attached file is a request for a proposal document
Attachment(s)	7z archive file containing malicious JavaScript file
Detection Names	Ikarus (Win32.SuspectCrc), Microsoft (Trojan:JS/Vigorf.A), Symantec (CL.Downloader!gen96), 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	Agent Tesla
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.

More malspam examples are "Cobra Industrial Machines Email Virus", "Payment Schedule Email Virus", and "Burofax Online Email Virus".

In most cases, malspam emails are disguised as official, important messages from legitimate, well-known companies organizations or other entities. Files or links within such emails should never be opened.

How did "METZA email virus" infect my computer?

The file attached to this email is a 7z archive, which contains a JavaScript (JS) file. If executed, this installs Agent Tesla. More examples of files that can be used to deliver malware via malspam are other archive files such as ZIP, RAR, PDF, Microsoft Office documents, and executable files (.exe).

In Microsoft Office versions released prior to 2010, malware download/installation begins when an infectious document is opened, however, newer versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic execution of macros. Instead, users are asked to enable macro commands (i.e., to enable editing/content) and hence infection processes can only be started by manually enabling macros.

How to avoid installation of malware

Download software and files from official websites and via direct links. It is not safe to use torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, unofficial websites or other sources of this kind.

Avoid third party installers. Check "Advanced", "Custom" and other settings, and decline offers to download or install unwanted software. Do not click ads that are displayed on dubious websites, since they can open other untrusted websites or even cause unwanted downloads and installations.

Remove any unwanted, suspicious applications (extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins) that are installed on the browser. The same should be applied to programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system.

Regularly scan your computer with reputable antivirus or anti-spyware software and keep this software up to date.

If you have already opened a "METZA email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text in the email message:

Subject: RICHIESTA DI OFFERTA

Buongiorno,

Troverai the richieste of the offer allegate and a list of articles for the quali vogliamo fare offer
Fornire the ripartizione delle quantità and the corrispondente per quantità diverse.

Ci piacerebbe ricevere il tuo nuovo listino prezzi per il 2021.

I impatiently attempt the tua risposta

Grazie e distinti saluti.

Nihat CAN

CONSULENZA DOGANALE
Bostancı Oto San. Siediti.
Değirmenyolu Doğanbey Cad.
Irem è Mrk. No: 38/14
İçerenköy / Atasehir / IST
TEL: 0216 469 10 51
FAX: 0216 469 10 55
E-mail: nihat@metzagum.com.tr
Web: www.metzagum.com.tr

The file delivered via this malspam detected as a threat:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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.

Quick menu:

• What is METZA 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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