Avoid infecting your device with malware via fake "TEXTIMA" emails

What kind of email is "TEXTIMA Export"?

After analyzing this "TEXTIMA Export" spam email, we determined that it is designed to infect recipients' devices with the FormBook malware. It must be emphasized that this scam mail is in no way associated with the actual Textima Export Import GmbH company.

"TEXTIMA Export" email virus overview

The spam email with the subject "Product Inquiry" (may vary) is presented as an inquiry from the Textima Export Import company. It requests the recipient to provide product specifications in accordance with the attached document.

As mentioned in the introduction, this email is fake and not associated with any genuine entities. Hence, when the malicious file located in the attached archive is opened - FormBook malware's download/installation chain is triggered. This malware is designed to extract vulnerable information from victims' machines, and it can cause chain infections (i.e., download/install additional malicious components/programs).

In summary, by trusting an email like "TEXTIMA Export" - users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you suspect that your computer is infected with FormBook (or other malware), we highly recommend using an anti-virus to remove all threats without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"TEXTIMA Export" malspam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Fake Claim	Email contains product specifications
Disguise	TEXTIMA Export Import GmbH
Attachment(s)	__Inquiry__Pdf.gz (filename may vary)
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:PWSX-gen [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (IL:Trojan.MSILZilla.23194), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of MSIL/Kryptik.AHBV), Kaspersky (HEUR:Trojan-PSW.MSIL.Agensla.gen), Microsoft (Trojan:MSIL/AgentTesla.IO!MTB), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Payload	FormBook
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.
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 campaign examples

"CTM Arrangment", "Stromag email virus", "Werth Messtechnik email virus", and "I Paid For Products From Your Store" are a few examples of emails spreading malware.

Spam mail is also used to facilitate phishing and other scams. These letters can be disguised as "urgent", "important", "priority", or similar. They can even be presented as messages from genuine companies, service providers, corporations, organizations, authorities, and other entities.

Due to how widespread spam mail is, we strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails contain malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so on.

Once a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection process is jumpstarted. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Another recommendation is to be careful with incoming emails and messages. The attachments and links found in suspect mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious and cause infections.

It is crucial to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic execution of macros.

However, malware is not proliferated only via spam mail. Therefore, we advise downloading only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated with tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and fake updaters can contain malicious software.

We must emphasize that having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date is essential to device and user safety. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "TEXTIMA Export" spam email letter:

Subject: Product Inquiry

Hello

I am contacting from TEXTIMA Export Import GmbH Germany, we are general expertise and we are looking for above product specification on  the attached note,

 

Thank You & Best Regards

 

Detlef  Hegenbert

 

--
Textima Export Import GmbH Frankfurter Allee 73 10247 Berlin Germany Tel: +49 30 249 04 110 Mobile: +49 172 317 64 78 E-Mail: dhegen@textima(dot)de

Screenshot of VirusTotal detections of the malicious attachment distributed via "TEXTIMA Export" spam campaign:

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 "TEXTIMA Export" malspam?
• 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?

Spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scam.

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

No, just opening/reading an email will not initiate any system infection processes. Malware download/installation is triggered when the attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

Whether an infection occurred might depend on the opened file's format. Executables (.exe, run, etc.) infect devices almost without fail. While document formats (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be mentioned that running a full system scan is essential - since high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.

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