Do not trust fake "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service"?
After inspecting this "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" email, we determined that it is spam. The fake notification concerns a shared document; thereby, it lures recipients into disclosing their email account log-in credentials to a phishing site.
It must be emphasized that this scam message is in no way associated with the actual Docusign, Inc. or any other genuine services and entities.
"Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "(1 New) DocuSign Electronic Signature" (may vary) notifies of a document sent to the recipient via Docusign. After the "REVIEW DOCUMENTS" button is pressed, the user is redirected to a phishing site. It masquerades as the OneDrive website requesting the visitor to verify their identity (by entering their email log-in credentials) to access the shared PDF document.
It must be reiterated that the claim made by this message is false, and this mail is not associated with the real Docusign electronic signature service or Microsoft OneDrive file-hosting service.
Phishing sites are designed to record provided information and send it to scammers. Emails are incredibly targeted by cyber criminals, as they tend to include highly sensitive information and may serve as an avenue for hijacking the accounts, platforms, and services registered through them.
To expand upon how the unauthorized access may be abused, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files or links.
Furthermore, finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
In summary, victims of spam mail like "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have entered your account credentials into a phishing webpage/file – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient was sent a document. |
| Disguise | Docusign, OneDrive |
| Related Domains | nxrmal[.]com |
| Detection Names (nxrmal[.]com) | CRDF (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (nxrmal[.]com) | 172.67.158.7 |
| Symptoms | Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
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Aside from log-in credentials, these messages commonly target personally identifiable data and finance-related information. However, other scams are facilitated through spam mail as well. Additionally, these letters are used to distribute all kinds of malware.
While the widely held belief that spam emails are poorly written and riddled with mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently crafted and even convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, and other entities.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware is often spread via spam mail. Deceptive emails/messages can have malicious files attached to or linked inside them. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
The infection chain is triggered once a virulent file is opened. However, some formats need extra interaction to initiate malware download/installation. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly advise vigilance with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be infectious.
However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and malicious content.
Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and trustworthy channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. This software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" spam email letter:
Subject: (1 New) DocuSign Electronic Signature
Hi -,
This message was sent to you using the DocuSign Service.
Do Not Share This Email
This email contains a secure link to DocuSign. Please do not share this email, link, or access code with others.
REVIEW DOCUMENTS
Download the DocuSign App
This message was sent to you using the DocuSign Electronic Signature Service.
Screenshot of the fake OneDrive website promoted by this spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Message Sent Using DocuSign Service" phishing email?
- 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, even if they include details relevant for the recipients. These messages are sent out in mass-scale operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Opening/Reading an email poses no infection threat; devices are compromised when malicious attachments/links are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
File formats can impact infection success rates. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.pdf, .doc, .xls, .one, etc.) – may require additional actions. Hence, malware download/installation only begins after macros are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and eliminate all manner of threats. It is capable of detecting and removing nearly all known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is paramount since high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.
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