How to avoid the installation of the LINPRA email virus?
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is email virus?
One of the most popular ways to deliver malware is to send emails containing malicious attachments or website links. Recipients infect their computers by opening downloaded malicious files. Typically, emails used to deliver malware are disguised as official letters from legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities.
LINPRA email virus in detail
This email is disguised as a letter from LINPRA (Lithuanian Engineering and Technology Industry Association) - an independent business organisation, representing Lithuanian engineering industry. LINPRA is an existing organization which has nothing to do with this malspam campaign.
It is likely that cybercriminals behind this email target companies in the engineering industry that are members of the LINPRA organization. Their goal is to trick recipients into believing that the file attached to this email contains a list of suspended LINPRA members and then opening it.
The file attached to this email is named "Sustabdytų narių sąrašas.pdf.zip". It contains an executable file named "Sustabdytų narių sąrašas.pdf.exe". This file is designed to infect computers with malware. Although, it is unclear what is the purpose of that malicious software. Either way, that file should not be opened.
It is possible that cybercriminals behind this email attempt to trick recipients into installing ransomware on their computers. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts files to make them inaccessible and generates a ransom note encouraging victims to contact the attackers and pay them a certain amount of cryptocurrency.
It is also possible that cybercriminals are using this email to trick recipients into installing some cryptocurrency miner. Cryptocurrency miners use hardware (for example, processors, graphics cards) to solve mathematical problems (to mince cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Etherium, Tether).
Another popular type of malware that cybercriminals distribute via emails is an information stealer. Usually, malware of this type targets credit card details (e.g., cardholder name, CVV code, expiry date), login credentials (e.g., email address, username, password), social security numbers, and other sensitive information.
| Name | LINPRA spam |
| Threat Type | Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware. |
| Hoax | Email attachment is a list of suspended LINPRA organization members |
| Attachment(s) | Sustabdytų narių sąrašas.pdf.zip |
| Detection Names | Avast (Win32:PWSX-gen [Trj]), BitDefender (Trojan.GenericKDZ.76566), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/GenKryptik.FIAG), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan.MSIL.Taskun.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:MSIL/Tnega.RV!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 | Unknown malware |
| 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 campaigns in general
Emails that cybercriminals use to proliferate malicious programs look like legitimate letters sent by existing, well-known entities. Recipients infect computers by downloading and opening a malicious file. More examples of emails that were (or still are used to deliver malware) are "Care Logistics Email Virus" and "Statement Report Email Virus".
Typically, files or links in emails of this type are used to distribute malicious software designed to encrypt files, steal personal information, mine cryptocurrency, provide remote access to the infected machines, etc. In one way or another, it is strongly recommended not to trust emails of this type (not to open their contents).
How did LINPRA email virus infect my computer?
As mentioned before, this email contains a ZIP file that has an executable file ("Sustabdytų narių sąrašas.pdf.exe") in it. That executable file infects a computer if it gets opened (executed). It is worth mentioning that there could be different versions of this email (the file attached to an email may have a different name, extension).
It is important to know that emails used to deliver malware can have different types of files attached to them. For example, they can contain Microsoft Office documents, PDF documents, archive files like RAR, JavaScript files, or other files attached to them. Most of the times, recipients infect systems by opening those files.
Malicious documents opened with MS Office 2010 and newer do not install malware unless users enable editing/content (macros commands) in them. However, if malicious documents are opened with older MS Office versions, they install malware automatically. It is because older versions of the MS Office do not have the "Protected View" mode.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is recommended not to open files and links in emails received from suspicious, unknown addresses. It is common that emails of this kind are used to distribute malware. Also, it is advisable to use official websites and direct links to download files. Files downloaded through or from other sources can be malicious.
Installed programs should never be updated or activated with unofficial (third-party) tools - those tools tend to be designed to infect computers with one or another malware. Programs have to be updated or activated with tools provided by their official developers. Also, it is not legal to use cracking tools to activate legitimate programs.
Additionally, it is advisable to scan a computer for malicious programs, files or other threats regularly and do it with a reputable antivirus or anti-spyware software. If you've already opened "LINPRA email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Appearance of the email used to deliver malware (GIF):
Text presented in this email:
Subject: Lietuvos inžinerijos ir technologijų pramonės asociacija
Laba diena, LINPRA nariai,
Gerbiami nariai,
Norime atkreipti jūsų dėmesį į tuos asociacijos narius, kurie buvo sustabdyti iki kito pranešimo apie asociacijos taisyklių pažeidimą.
Pirmą kartą suspenduojame penkiasdešimt savo asociacijos narių.
Todėl likusius narius rekomenduojama išbraukti iš priede pateikto sąrašo, nes visi, kurie prisijungs prie jų, bus nubausti.
Pagarbiai
Akvilė Andriuškaitė-Paurė
Komunikacijos projektų vadovė
LINPRALietuvos inžinerijos ir technologijų pramonės asociacija
Savanorių pr. 176C-803, LT-03154 Vilnius
+ 370 612 37091
akvile.andriuskaite@linpra.lt
linpra.lt
Malicious process running as "FileSystemControls" (its name may vary) in Task Manager:
Malicious executable designed to install malware detected as a threat on Virustotal:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is LINPRA 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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