Avoid infecting your device via "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" spam email
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc"?
After inspecting this "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" email – we determined that it is malspam (malicious spam). The scam letter is presented as a message regarding shipping documentation from DHL Express. It must be emphasized that this email is fake, and it is in no way associated with the actual DHL. The file attached to this mail is designed to infect recipients' systems with malware.
"DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" email virus overview
The spam email with the subject "Final Reminder "[recipient's_email_address]"" is disguised as a notification from DHL – a legitimate logistics and shipping company. The letter states that the AWB (air waybill), shipping documentation, and delivery details can be found in the attachment.
As previously mentioned, this email is a scam, and it is not associated with DHL. The attached file is designed to infect recipients' computers with malware. Spam mail like "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" is often used to proliferate trojans, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and various other malicious programs.
Therefore, by trusting such an email – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you believe that your device is already infected, we strongly recommend using an anti-virus to run a full system scan and eliminate all detected threats.
| Name | "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" malspam |
| Threat Type | Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware. |
| Fake Claim | Email has shipping documentation attached to it. |
| Disguise | DHL |
| Attachment(s) | AWB&SHIPINGDOC-202302COMPLIANTREFN59885_PDF.ace (filename may vary) |
| Detection Names (attachment) | Avast (FileRepMalware [Misc]), ESET-NOD32 (NSIS/Injector.BTJ), Kaspersky (VHO:Packed.NSIS.Krynis.gen), McAfee (Artemis!84DFA7F2660A), Microsoft (Trojan:Win32/Wacatac.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. |
| 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 campaign examples
We have analyzed countless spam emails; "Please Find Attached My CV", "Interested In Buying From You", "Payment Remittance Advice" – are merely a couple examples of letters used to distribute malware.
Deceptive emails can be variously disguised, often as messages from existing service providers, companies, corporations, organizations, authorities, and other entities. These letters are also used for phishing and various scams.
Due to how widespread and well-crafted spam mail can be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be archives, executables, Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, etc.
When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise open – the infection chain (i.e., malware downloads/installation) is initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is crucial to approach incoming emails and other messages with caution. The attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail – must not be opened since they can be infectious. Additionally, we recommend using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010, as they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.
It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we advise downloading only from official and verified channels. Furthermore, programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.
It is just as important to be careful while browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content typically appears harmless.
We must stress that having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated is essential to device and user safety. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats/issues. 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 "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" spam email letter:
Subject: Re: Final Reminder "-"
Hello Sir/Madam,
Please find attached AWB & Shipping Doc and revert back.
Note delivery information in the attached documents.
Kindly confirm below details Asap.
Regards.
IMELDA K. KHALID
Complaints/Accounts Dept.
DHL EXPRESS
Meydan Street, Nad Al Sheba 1 Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 4 2924212
DHL Express – Excellence. Simply delivered.
GO GREEN – Environmental protection with DHL
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 "DHL Express - AWB & Shipping Doc" 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 these letters in massive campaigns with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided account credentials – immediately change the password of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are open/clicked; merely reading a spam email will not trigger any malware download/installation processes.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether an infection occurred may depend on the open file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, document formats (.doc, .xls, .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 can detect and remove practically all known malware infections. It must be emphasized that performing a complete system scan is crucial – since high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.
Outstanding!
▼ Show Discussion