How to recognize malspam campaigns such as AIC Contracting

What is "AIC Contracting" email virus?

Our team has inspected this email and concluded that it is part of a malicious spam campaign. Cybercriminals use it to distribute Agent Tesla - a Remote Administration Trojan. Their goal is to trick recipients into executing a file extracted from the malicious attachment (archive file).

"AIC Contracting" email virus in detail

We have examined the email and learned that it is disguised as a letter regarding a new trade agreement. It encourages recipients to review the attached "agreement document". We have extracted a file from the attached archive file (in our case it was a file named "LLCTrade Agreement20220128.r11") and found that it is a malicious executable file named "StringSplitOptio.exe" (its name may vary in other email variants).

We have tested the malicious executable and learned that it infects a computer with Agent Tesla. This tool allows cybercriminals to access and control affected computers remotely. One of the main features available in Agent Tesla is a keystroke logger - a tool that records pressed keys.

Threat Summary:

Name	AIC Contracting Malicious Spam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	File attached to email is an agreement document
Attachment(s)	LLCTrade Agreement20220128.r11 (its name may vary)
Detection Names (Malicious Executable)	Avast (Win32:PWSX-gen [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.38784003), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.AEDU), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-PSW.MSIL.Agensla.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:MSIL/AgentTesla.NGC!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	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.

Malicious emails in general

As a rule, cybercriminals behind malicious emails pretend to be legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities. Their emails contain malicious links or attachments (usually disguised as urgent, official documents). More examples of malspam campaigns are "DMCA Copyright Infringement Notification Email Virus", "Outer Banks Email Virus", "TurboTax Email Virus".

How did "AIC Contracting email virus" infect my computer?

While analyzing the email, we found that the file attached to it is an archive file named "LLCTrade Agreement20220128.r11". It contains another file named "StringSplitOptio.exe". This malicious executable injects Agent Tesla after executing/opening it. The filenames of the files mentioned above can vary (threat actors may be using several email variants in their malspam campaign).

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be careful with emails containing links or attachments. Irrelevant emails sent from unknown addresses usually contain malicious files/links. Also, download software and files from official websites. Avoid using other sources (such as third-party downloaders, shady websites, P2P networks, etc.). Do not click on advertisements and fake "Download" buttons displayed on questionable websites.

Update and activate the installed software with tools provided by its official developer. If you've already opened "AIC Contracting email virus" attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "AIC Contracting" email letter:

GREETINGS!

Please see attached signed agreement for your reference and action.

Thank you and best regards,

Mel Torralba

AIC Contracting LLC
Tel No.  04 - 2828244 Extn. 134

Fax No. 04 - 2828157

Mobile No. 055-276-8333

Malicious file in the attached archive file flagged as malicious in VirusTotal:

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 AIC Contracting Malicious 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

This letter is not personal (it does not target anyone in particular). Typically, cybercriminals use email addresses obtained from leaked databases - they send the same email to all recipients.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?

The file attached to this message is an archive file. It cannot directly infect a computer, but an executable file placed in it can. If you have executed/opened that executable file, your computer is already infected with Agent Tesla.

I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, opening an email by itself is completely harmless. Clicking links or opening attachments within the email is what leads to computer infections.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware. Computers infected with high-risk malware should be scanned using a full scan. Otherwise, the antivirus may not detect malware that hides deep in the system.

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