How to avoid infecting a computer via the "CAETANO FORMULA" email

What is "CAETANO FORMULA" email virus?

Our team has examined this email and found that it contains a malicious attachment. The file attached to it infects computers with Agent Tesla - a remote administration Trojan (RAT). This file is disguised as a purchase order document.

More about the"CAETANO FORMULA" email virus

The email instructs recipients to review the attached file to confirm the new order and quote. That file is named "New Order#124589#.gz" (its name may vary). It is an archive file containing the Agent Tesla RAT. This malware records keystrokes (records keyboard input), and collects sensitive data from web browsers, messaging clients, VPN, and FTP clients.

Having a computer infected with Agent Tesla can lead to identity theft, monetary loss, loss of access to various personal accounts, and other problems. This RAT is designed mainly to steal sensitive information. It is important to mention that many RATs can drop additional malware, access the webcam, and microphone, capture the screen, and more.

Threat Summary:

Name	CAETANO FORMULA malspam campaign
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Hoax	File attached to this email is a purchase order
Attachment(s)	New Order#124589#.gz (its name may vary)
Detection Names (IServerFormatterSinkProvi.exe)	Avast (Win32:PWSX-gen [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.39665155), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.AFDN), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-PSW.MSIL.Stealer.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:MSIL/AgentTesla.ALY!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.

Malspam campaigns in general

Typically, cybercriminals behind emails used to deliver malware pretend to be legitimate companies, organizations, or other entities. Their goal is to trick recipients into infecting computers with malware (e.g., ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, remote access Trojans).

More examples of malspam campaigns are "Your Package Has Been Delivered To Your Preferred Safe Place Email Virus", "The List Of The Problem Email Virus", and "DUY THANH EXPORT Email Virus".

How did "CAETANO FORMULA email virus" infect my computer?

This email contains an archive file (a .gz file). That file contains another file (an executable file) designed to infect computers with Agent Tesla. A computer becomes infected after executing the file stored in the attached archive file.

It is important to mention that emails used to deliver malware can contain malicious MS Office, PDF documents, other archive files (e.g., ZIP, RAR), JavaScript files, and other files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Do not open files/attachments and links in irrelevant emails sent from unknown, suspicious addresses. Avoid using unofficial websites and other unreliable sources as sources for downloading files and software. Download them from official pages and use direct links.

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

Text presented in the "CAETANO FORMULA email virus" email letter:

Subject: New Order#124589#

Dear Sir,

Please Confirm The New Order and Quote.

Thanks!

gaia
Sales manager

CAETANO FORMULA (GAIA)
Baviera Building - Rua do Barreiro,
547 - Madalena 4405-730 Vila Nova De Gaia Porto
Official Service Appointment: 808 919 962
Parts: 910 086 855
General: 223 777 850
Email: gaia@caetanoformula.pt
hxxps://www.caetanoformularenault.pt/

Detection names for a malicious file distributed via "CAETANO FORMULA email

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 CAETANO FORMULA malspam campaign?
• 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?

Most probably, cybercriminals used email addresses obtained after a data breach to spread this malspam campaign. They sent the same letter to all recipients.

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

No, opening emails is harmless. Computers cannot become infected via email without opening malicious links or attachments.

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

Opening archive files (like the attached .gz file) does not infect computers. However, executing executable files (like the one stored in the attached archive file) does. If you have executed that file, your computer is already infected.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating almost all known malware infections. Keep in mind that high-end malware usually hides deep in the system. For this reason, running a full system scan is a must.

▼ Show Discussion