Avoid infecting your system via "Your E-mail Will Be Closed" spam mail

What kind of email is "Your E-mail Will Be Closed"?

After examining the "Your E-mail Will Be Closed" spam letter, we determined that it is malspam. This fake message claims that the recipient's email account will be terminated unless it is updated. The goal is to lure the recipient into opening the malicious attachment, which is designed to infect devices with the Agent Tesla RAT (Remote Access Trojan).

"Your E-mail Will Be Closed" email virus overview

The spam email with the subject "EMAIL INTERFACE UPGRADE AVOID CLOSURE OF YOUR EMAIL." (may vary) informs the recipient that their account will be terminated on the specified date. The deactivation will supposedly take place due to ignored upgrades. If the recipient wishes to continue using their email, the message urges them to update the account.

Additionally, the letter has an attachment – "Undelivered Mails.doc" – the title implies that the file contains emails which have failed to reach the inbox. However, the attached Microsoft Word document is infectious.

Once opened, the message within instructs the user to press the "Enable Editing" button – thus enabling its malicious macro commands and jumpstarting Agent Tesla's download/installation process. More on this versatile information-stealing malware can be found in our article on Agent Tesla.

In summary, by trusting an email like "Your E-mail Will Be Closed" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you suspect that your device is already infected with the Agent Tesla RAT (or other malware) – immediately run a full system scan using an anti-virus and eliminate all detected threats.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your E-mail Will Be Closed" malspam
Threat Type	Trojan, password-stealing virus, banking malware, spyware.
Fake Claim	Email account will be deactivated unless it is updated.
Attachment(s)	Undelivered Mails.doc (filename may vary)
Detection Names	Avast (Other:Malware-gen [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.GenericKD.67685569), DrWeb (Exploit.CVE-2018-0798.4), Kaspersky (HEUR:Exploit.MSOffice.CVE-2018-0802), Microsoft (Exploit:O97M/CVE-2017-11882.RVR), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Payload	Agent Tesla
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

"Order Trial", "Hydro Group Purchase Order", "DHL Statement Of Account", and "Company Contact" are just a couple examples of malicious spam emails that we have investigated.

Deceptive letters are used to proliferate trojans, ransomware, cryptocurrency miners, and various other types of malware. These emails are also used to facilitate a wide variety of scams, such as phishing, tech support, callback, sextortion, etc.

Due to how widespread and potentially well-crafted spam mail can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

"Your E-mail Will Be Closed" letter has a virulent Microsoft Office document attached to it. The file requests users to enable its macro commands (i.e., enable editing), which are malicious, and initiate Agent Tesla's download/installation.

Malspam spreads malware through attachments and links leading to malicious websites that host infectious files. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain is triggered. For example, MS documents infect devices by executing malicious macros, while virulent OneNote files require users to click on embedded files/links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend being careful with incoming emails and messages. Attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be infectious. It is important to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.

Aside from spam mail, malware is also commonly distributed through untrustworthy download channels (e.g., freeware sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), illegal program activation tools ("cracks"), fake updates, online scams, and malvertising.

Therefore, we advise downloading only from official/verified sources and activating/updating software by using legitimate functions/tools. Another recommendation is to be vigilant when browsing since fake and dangerous online content typically appears ordinary and harmless.

We must stress the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats and 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 "Your E-mail Will Be Closed" spam email letter:

Subject: EMAIL INTERFACE UPGRADE AVOID CLOSURE OF YOUR EMAIL.

CLOSURE OF EMAIL  

We informed you that your E-mail will be closed ON 25/6/2022  because you have been ignoring all our upgrade messages sent to you.

If you wish to continue using your Email update now to continue using our service.

Click here to update

Notice: Ignoring this message will cause your E-mail to be terminated without your permission. MOVE MAIL TO INBOX IF SEEN IN SPAM/JUNK.

Thanks ,

Sincerely
- Mail Protector 2023

Screenshot of the malicious attachment distributed via this spam campaign ("Undelivered Mails.doc"):

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 "Your E-mail Will Be Closed" 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 mail is not personal. Cyber criminals send it in massive operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical emails.

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 opened; merely reading an email will not initiate any system infection processes.

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

Whether your device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. While documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded files/links, etc.) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices as well as detect and remove practically all known malware infections. It must be emphasized that since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems – performing a complete system scan is crucial.

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