Avoid infecting the system via fake "Care Logistics" emails

What is "Care Logistics email virus"?

"Care Logistics email virus" refers to a malware-proliferating spam campaign. This term defines a mass-scale operation during which thousands of deceptive emails are sent. The letters distributed through this campaign - are presented as payment-related messages from Care Logistics - a legitimate company.

It must be emphasized that these scam emails are in no way associated with this company, nor is any of the information provided by them - true. This spam campaign aims to infect recipients' devices with the Snake keylogger data-stealing malware.

"Care Logistics" scam email in detail

The fake "Care Logistics" emails (subject/title "Payment Details" may vary) state that recipients can find their SWIFT bank (another legitimate enterprise) payment details. After the remittance is applied to the recipients' accounting, they are requested to provide their updated SOA (Statement of Advice) for the next payment.

The scam letters also notify that future remittances will only be made according to the new SOA. As mentioned in the introduction, all of the claims made by these emails are false. Instead of containing the stated details, upon opening - the attachment triggers Snake keylogger's download/installation process.

Snake malware functionalities

The Snake keylogger is designed to record key-strokes (keylogging). This puts the privacy/security of all typed data at risk. However, this is not the only malicious functionality possessed by Snake. This malware can also take screenshots and obtain information stored in the clipboard (i.e., copy/paste buffer).

Additionally, this program can extract data from browsers and email clients. Targeted information includes: various account (e.g., email, social media, messenger, online bank, e-commerce, digital wallet, etc.) log-in credentials, browsing activity, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information (e.g., credit card numbers, etc.).

To summarize, by trusting the fake "Care Logistics" emails, users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft. If it is suspected/known that the Snake keylogger (or other malware) has already infected the system - an anti-virus must be used to remove it without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	Care Logistics spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	Emails request recipients to review the attached payment details and provide an updated SOA (Statement of Advice)
Disguise	Scam emails are disguised as letters from the Care Logistics company
Attachment(s)	Payment Details.lzh containing Payment Details.bat (filenames may vary)
Detection Names	BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKD.37250363), Cyren (RAR/Trojan.IRLY-3), Ikarus (Trojan.Archive), K7AntiVirus (Trojan ( 00564f471 )), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/Phonzy.B!ml), 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	Snake keylogger
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.

Spam campaigns in general

"Statement Report", "Zoom Conference Invitation", "ATLAS AL SHARQ TRADING Email Virus", and "URGENT INFORMATION ON COVID-19 VACCINATION" are some examples of malware-spreading spam campaigns. The letters sent through these operations are typically disguised as "official", "urgent", "important", and so on.

Aside from malicious software distribution, spam campaigns are also used for phishing and other scams. Due to how prevalent spam mail is, it is strongly advised to exercise caution with incoming emails and messages. Furthermore, to ensure device integrity and user safety - all threats and issues must be eliminated immediately upon detection.

How did "Care Logistics email virus" infect my computer?

Systems are infected via malicious files distributed through spam campaigns. These files can be attached to the deceptive emails, or the letters contain download links of infectious files. The former is the case with "Care Logistics" scam letters.

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

For example, Microsoft Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands. In Microsoft Office versions released prior to 2010 - this process is automatic. Later versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents this immediate process. Instead, users can manually enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content).

How to avoid installation of malware?

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

Aside from spam mail, malware is also spread via dubious download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. Therefore, it is important to only download from official/verified sources and activate/update software with tools provided by genuine developers.

It is paramount to have a dependable anti-virus/anti-spyware installed and kept updated. This software has to be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats and issues. If you've already opened "Care Logistics email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Care Logistics" scam email letter:

Subject: Payment Details

 

Attached you can find bank Swift and payment details.

 

Once this payment is applied to your accounting, please, send me your updated SOA between 1 st and 10 th of June in order to fix next payment.

 

Please, note that from now on we will only arrange payments based on the received SOA therefore no payment will be released without it.

 

Best regards and thanks in advance

 

Best Regards

 

Thanks & Regards: Saleem

 

CARE LOGISTICS.
1/2 G, Block- 06, PECHS,
Karachi - Pakistan.
Phones ++ 92 213 4387293 & 94 & 95
Fax    ++ 92 213 4387297
Email  saleem@carelogistics.com

Appearance of the "Care Logistics" scam email (GIF):

Screenshot of VirusTotal detections of the malicious file distributed by the "Care Logistics" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is Care Logistics 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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