Avoid infecting your device via "THUAN HIEP THANH" scam emails

What is the "THUAN HIEP THANH" scam email?

"THUAN HIEP THANH email virus" is a malware-spreading spam campaign. This term defines a mass-scale operation during which deceptive/scam emails are sent by the thousand.

The letters distributed through this campaign - request recipients to review and confirm their purchase order. It must be emphasized that these emails are fake, and when their attachment is opened - it triggers download/installation of the NanoCore RAT (Remote Access Trojan).

Malware within this classification is designed to enable remote access and control over infected devices. These trojans can have a wide variety of heinous functionalities, and they are deemed to be highly dangerous.

The scam emails with the subject/title "THUAN HIEP THANH CO., LTD - Ref. #20880 (PURCHASE ORDER AND CONTRACT)" (may vary) request recipients to review the attached purchase order and contract. This documentation must be signed again and sent back as soon as possible.

The fake letters also invite recipients to contact the sender if they have any questions. As mentioned in the introduction, the "THUAN HIEP THANH" emails are scams. Once the file attached to them is opened - NanoCore RAT's infection chain is initiated.

Remote access trojans allow cyber criminals access and control over compromised devices. They can even enable user-level control over infected machines.

These malicious programs are versatile and can cause various severe issues. Typically, RATs have information and content stealing abilities. To elaborate, this malware can: exfiltrate files and information from the system, extract data from browsers and other installed applications (e.g., usernames, passwords, bank account details, credit card numbers, etc.), record keystrokes (keylogging) and/or audio/video via microphones and cameras, take screenshots, steal clipboard (copy/paste buffer) data, etc.

Furthermore, these trojans are often capable of causing chain infections; i.e., they can download/install ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and other malware. To summarize, by trusting the "THUAN HIEP THANH" scam emails, users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If it is known or suspected that NanoCore RAT (or other malware) has already infected the device - an anti-virus must be used to remove it without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	THUAN HIEP THANH spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	Scam emails request recipients to review and confirm the purchase order and contract.
Attachment(s)	Purchase Order & Contract.rar containing Purchase Order & Contract.exe (filenames may vary)
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:MalwareX-gen [Trj]), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.46369999), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.ABDU), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.MSIL.Taskun.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:MSIL/AgenteslaPacker!MTB), 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
Rogue Process Name	DINO EDITOR (process name may vary)
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.

"Pending Order", "WMS Technologies Email Virus", "Accounts & Export Depart", and "Alibaba Email Virus" are some examples of spam campaigns used to proliferate malicious software. The emails distributed through these large-scale operations are usually presented as "urgent", "priority", "important", or disguised as messages from legitimate companies, organizations, authorities, service providers, and other entities.

Spam campaigns are used for malware distribution and various scams (e.g., phishing). Due to how widespread spam mail is, it is strongly recommended to exercise caution with incoming email letters.

How did "THUAN HIEP THANH email virus" infect my computer?

Systems are infected via malicious files spread through spam campaigns. These files can be attached to the emails, and/or the letters can contain download links of such content.

Infectious files can be in a variety of formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), PDF and Microsoft Office documents, JavaScript, and so on. When the files are executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection process (i.e., malware download/installation) is jumpstarted.

For example, Microsoft Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands. This process begins the moment a document is opened in Microsoft Office versions released before 2010.

Newer versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic execution of macros. Instead, users can enable editing/content (i.e., macro commands) manually.

How to avoid installation of malware?

To avoid infecting the system via spam mail, it is advised against opening dubious and irrelevant emails - especially any attachments or links present in them. It is recommended to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010.

Aside from spam campaigns, malware is also distributed through untrustworthy download sources (e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, and other third-party downloaders), illegal activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. Therefore, it is important to download only from official and verified channels.

Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated with tools/functions provided by genuine developers. It is crucial to have a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware suite installed and kept up-to-date.

This software has to be used to run regular system scans and remove detected threats and issues. If you've already opened "THUAN HIEP THANH email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "THUAN HIEP THANH" scam email letter:

Subject: THUAN HIEP THANH CO., LTD - Ref. #20880 (PURCHASE ORDER AND CONTRACT)

 

Good day,

 

Please review our confirmed attached purchase order and Contract as attached file, Please check and sign again for me .

 

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

 

And please send confirmation at your earliest convenience .

Thank you,

 
Nguyen Xuan Binh
Purchasing Clerk

21/20/77 Le Cong Phap, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City
TELEPHONE: (028) 3755 3728
FAX: (028) 3756 3537
EMAIL: info@thuanhiepthanh.com
WEBSITE: https://thuanhiepthanh.com.vn
COMPANY:  THUAN HIEP THANH CO., LTD

Screenshot of VirusTotal detections of the malicious attachment distributed via "THUAN HIEP THANH" spam campaign ("Purchase Order & Contract.exe"):

Screenshot of the malicious executable's process on Windows Task Manager ("DINO EDITOR" process name)

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Quick menu:

• What is THUAN HIEP THANH 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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