Malicious Macro Email Message - "Payment Advise"
The email message below with the subject: "Payment advise," has a malicious Microsoft Excel document("Payment details.xls") attached, disguised as an invoice or receipt. The malicious attachment contains a Macro, which is a set of instructions that is used in Microsoft Office to automate different tasks. If the malicious Microsoft Excel attachment is opened and the recipients enable "Macro" or "Enable Content," the set of Macro instructions will attempt to download a Trojan horse from a remote computer server and infect the recipients’ computers.
The Trojan horse will then be used by the cyber-criminals to steal the infected computer users' banking, social media, PayPal and other credentials.The Trojan horse can also be used to steal the victims’ financial information and other sensitive information without their knowledge.
Please note that the Trojan horse will only infect computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system.users of the Mac, IPhone, IPad, Blackberry, Windows phone or Android phone are not affected.
Remember, never enable Macro or “Enable Content” for a Microsoft Word, Excel or other Microsoft Office documents, regardless of where the email message came from.
Macro was created to automate tasks in Microsoft Office, but cyber-criminals started abusing this useful tool over a decade ago, by using it to download and infect their victims’ computers with viruses, Trojan horse and other malware. That is why Microsoft decided to disable Macro by default and gave Microsoft Office users the option of enabling or disabling it.
The Fake and Malicious Email Message
Subject: Payment advise
Good day,
Please we have been instructed by our customer to make this transfer to you.
we greatly apologize for the delay in the payment.
The payment has been made, attached is the payment TT and invoice for the transfer, kindly reconfirm payment your accounts.
Thanks
Kind Regards
Riady Jem
Accounts Manager
M: +971 56 186 4178Affaan Technologies
213, 2nd Floor, Hyatt Regency,
PO 238 999, Deira, Dubai, UAE
Now, persons who were tricked into opening the malicious Microsoft Excel document and enabling Macro or “Enable Content,” should do a full scan of their computers with the antivirus installed on them.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.