Malware spam: Your Amazon.co.uk order has dispatched (#525-2814418-9619799)

This fake Amazon email leads to malware. On some mail clients there may be no body text:

From: auto-shipping@amazon.co.uk Amazon.co.uk
To: 
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2016 10:50:56 +0100
Subject: Your Amazon.co.uk order has dispatched (#525-2814418-9619799)

Dear Customer,

Greetings from Amazon.co.uk,

We are writing to let you know that the following item has been sent using  Royal Mail.

For more information about delivery estimates and any open orders, please visit: http://www.amazon.co.uk/your-account

Your order #525-2814418-9619799 (received April 22, 2016)


Your right to cancel:
At Amazon.co.uk we want you to be delighted every time you shop with us.  Occasionally though, we know you may want to return items. Read more about our Returns Policy at:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/returns-policy/

Further, under the United Kingdom's Distance Selling Regulations, you have the right to cancel the contract for the purchase of any of these items within a period of 7 working days, beginning with the day after the day on which the item is delivered. This applies to all of our products. However, we regret that we cannot accept cancellations of contracts for the purchase of video, DVD, audio, video games and software products where the item has been unsealed. Please note that we are unable to accept cancellation of, or returns for, digital items once downloading has commenced. Otherwise, we can accept returns of complete product, which is unused and in an "as new" condition.

Our Returns Support Centre will guide you through our Returns Policy and, where relevant, provide you with a printable personalised return label.  Please go to http://www.amazon.co.uk/returns-support to use our Returns Support Centre.

To cancel this contract, please pack the relevant item securely, attach your personalised return label and send it to us with the delivery slip so that we receive it within 7 working days after the day of the date that the item was delivered to you or, in the case of large items delivered by our specialist couriers, contact Amazon.co.uk customer services using the link below within 7 working days after the date that the item was delivered to you to discuss the return.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/css/returns/homepage.html

For your protection, where you are returning an item to us, we recommend that you use a recorded-delivery service. Please note that you will be responsible for the costs of returning the goods to us unless we delivered the item to you in error or the item is faulty. If we do not receive the item back from you, we may arrange for collection of the item from your residence at your cost. You should be aware that, once we begin the delivery process, you will not be able to cancel any contract you have with us for services carried out by us (e.g. gift wrapping).

Please also note that you will be responsible for the costs of collection in the event that our specialist courier service collect a large item from you to return to us.

As soon as we receive notice of your cancellation of this order, we will refund the relevant part of the purchase price for that item.

Should you have any questions, feel free to visit our online Help Desk at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/help

If you've explored the above links but still need to get in touch with us, you will find more contact details at the online Help Desk.

Note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only e-mail address that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.

Thank you for shopping at Amazon.co.uk

-------------------------------------------------
Amazon EU S.=C3=A0.r.L.
c/o Marston Gate
Ridgmont, BEDFORD MK43 0XP
United Kingdom
-------------------------------------------------

Attached is a file with a name that matches the randomly-generated order (in this case, ORDER-525-2814418-9619799.docm). According to analysis by a couple of other trusted parties, the various versions of the malicious document download a binary from:

www.smileybins.com.au/0u8ggf5f5
kpmanish.com/0u8ggf5f5
neoventtechnologies.com/0u8ggf5f5
itronsecurity.com/0u8ggf5f5
bnacoffees.com/0u8ggf5f5
ambikaonline.com/0u8ggf5f5
usacarsimportsac.com/0u8ggf5f5
giftsandbaskets.co.th/0u8ggf5f5

This dropped executable has a detection rate of 6/56. The Hybrid Analysis and DeepViz Analysis plus some data sourced from other parties (thank you) indicates that the malware calls back to the following IPs:

186.250.48.10 (Redfox Telecomunicações Ltda., Brazil)
193.90.12.221 (MultiNet AS, Norway)
194.116.73.71 (Topix, Italy)
200.159.128.144 (Novanet da Barra Ass e Inf LTDA, Brazil)

The payload here appears to be the Dridex banking trojan.

Recommended blocklist:
186.250.48.10
193.90.12.221
194.116.73.71
200.159.128.144

UPDATE 2016-04-26

Another identical round of this spam is being sent out, complete with the formatting error that prevents the body text being displayed on some email clients. VirusTotal detection rates for the two samples I have seen are 5/57 [1] [2]. Hybrid Analysis of the attachments [3] [4] shows download locations at:

shagunproperty.com/987gby8nn8
aysanatorganizasyon.com/987gby8nn8

A trusted source tells me there are other download locations at:

cubasedersi.com/987gby8nn8
denizlikinaorganizasyon.com/987gby8nn8
factumtech.com/987gby8nn8
kurudomatesci.com/987gby8nn8
nuevomomento.com/987gby8nn8
seahawkexports.com/987gby8nn8
solucionhumana.mx/987gby8nn8
tipsforall.in/987gby8nn8

From here a binary is dropped on the system with a detection rate of 3/56. Those Hybrid analyses plus this DeepViz report show network traffic to:

176.9.113.216 (Hetzner, Germany)

Apparently there are C2 servers here:

186.250.48.10 (Redfox Telecomunicações Ltda, Brazil)
200.159.128.144 (Novanet da Barra Ass e Inf LTDA, Brazil)

The payload still appears to be Dridex.

Recommended blocklist:
176.9.113.216
186.250.48.10
200.159.128.144

Malware spam: "FW: Latest order delivery details" is somewhat rude

This fake financial spam leads to malware:

From:    Milan Bell [Milan.Bell5@viuz-en-sallaz.fr]
Date:    21 April 2016 at 17:45
Subject:    FW: Latest order delivery details

Good morning!

Hope you are good.

Yesterday and the day before my colleague (Glover Hector) sent you a request regarding the invoice INV_6325-2016-victimdomain.tld past due.

I kindly ask you to give us a reply finally. We're getting no answers from you. Please stop ignoring invoice requests.

Many thanks and good luck

Milan Bell

DORIC NIMROD AIR ONE LTD

tel. 443-682-9021

The rather rude pitch here is a canny bit of social engineering, aimed to make you open the link without clicking. I have only seen one sample of this at present and I guess that the details vary from email to email. In this case the attachment was called pastdue_tovictimdomain.tld340231.zip containing a malicious script pastdue60121342016.js.

This script has a VirusTotal detection rate of just 1/56. The Malwr report and Hybrid Analysis for this show it downloading a malicious binary from:

trendmicro.healdsburgdistricthospital.com/RIB/assets.php

Cheekily the URL references a well-known security company.  The domain it is using is a hijacked GoDaddy domain, and the download location is actually hosted at:

176.103.56.30 (PE Ivanov Vitaliy Sergeevich / Xserver.ua, Ukraine)

You can be that this is a malicious server and I recommend blocking it. This script downloads a binary named alarm.exe which has a detection rate of 4/56. The Hybrid Analysis for this sample shows network connections to:

103.245.153.154 (OrionVM, Australia)
176.9.113.214 (Hetzner, Germany)
210.245.92.63 (PT Telecom Company, Vietnam)
23.249.1.171 (Datacate , US)

It is not clear what the payload is, but there are indications it is the Dridex banking trojan.

Recommended blocklist:
176.103.56.30
103.245.153.154
176.9.113.214
210.245.92.63
23.249.1.171

Malware spam: "Dispatched Purchase Order" / FSPRD@covance.com

This fake financial spam does not come from Covance but is instead a simple forgery with a malicious attachment:

From:    FSPRD@covance.com
Reply-To:    donotreply@covance.com
Date:    21 April 2016 at 12:03
Subject:    Dispatched Purchase Order

Purchase Order, 11300 / 0006432242,  has been Dispatched.  Please detach and print the attached Purchase Order.

***Please do not respond to this e-mail as the mailbox is not monitored.
________________________________
Confidentiality Notice: In accordance with Covance's Data Classification Policy, this email, including attachment(s), is classified as Confidential or Highly Confidential. This e-mail transmission may contain confidential or legally privileged information that is intended only for the individual or entity named in the e-mail address. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or dissemination of the content of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.

If you have received this e-mail transmission in error or this email is not intended for you, please delete or destroy all copies of this message in your possession and inform the sender. Thank you.

Attached is a file with a name matching the reference in the email, e.g. 0006432242.tgz which is a compressed archive file, containing in turn another archive file with a name like 5611205-19.04.2016.tar and it that archive is a malicious script named in an almost identical format the the TAR file (e.g. 5611205-19.04.2016.js). This script has a typical detection rate of 8/56.

So far I have seen two versions of this script, downloading from:

mountainworldtreks.com/9uhg5vd3
secondary36.obec.go.th/9uhg5vd3

The downloaded binary is the same in both cases. This Hybrid Analysis and DeepViz Analysis indicate network traffic to:

193.90.12.221 (MultiNet AS, Norway)
194.116.73.71 (Topix, Italy)
64.76.19.251 (Impsat, Argentina)
200.159.128.144 (Novanet da Barra Ass e Inf LTDA, Brazil)

The payload appears to be the Dridex banking trojan.

Recommended blocklist:
193.90.12.221
194.116.73.71
64.76.19.251
200.159.128.144

Malware spam: "BalanceUK_INVOICE_X002380_1127878" / adminservices@grouphomesafe.com

This fake financial spam does not come from BalanceUK Limited but is instead a simple forgery with a malicious attachment:

From:    adminservices@grouphomesafe.com
Date:    21 April 2016 at 10:33
Subject:    "BalanceUK_INVOICE_X002380_1127878"

Thank you for placing your order with BalanceUK Ltd

Please find attached your document.

BalanceUK Limited,
30-32 Martock Business Park,
Great Western Road,
Martock,
Somerset,
TA12 6HB

Email: Balanceuk.orders@erahomesecurity.com
Tel: 01935 826 960
Fax: 01935 829 215


***  Please do not reply to this email address  ***

Attached is a ZIP file with a name that matches the reference in the subject field (e.g. BalanceUK_X271897_1127878.zip). Although I have seen a few samples with different names, they are all the same attachment. Inside that ZIP file is another ZIP file named 4812610-20.04.2016.zip and in there is a malicious script named 4812610-20.04.2016.js with a VirusTotal detection rate of 6/56.

This malicious script [pastebin] downloads an executable from:

dd.ub.ac.id/9uhg5vd3

There are usually different download locations, but so far I have only seen the one. This has a detection rate of 5/56. The Hybrid Analysis of the dropped binary shows network traffic to:

193.90.12.221 (MultiNet AS, Norway)
200.159.128.144 (Novanet da Barra Ass e Inf LTDA, Brazil)

The payload is not clear, but is probably the Dridex banking trojan.

Recommeded blocklist:
193.90.12.221
200.159.128.144

Malware spam: "Accounts at Beerhouse Self Drive [accounts3965@beerhouse.co.uk]" / "Document No™2958719"

This fake financial spam does not come from Beerhouse Self Drive but is instead a simple forgery with a malicious attachment:

From:    Accounts at Beerhouse Self Drive [accounts3965@beerhouse.co.uk]
Date:    20 April 2016 at 11:01
Subject:    Document No™2958719

Thanks for using electronic billing

Please find your document attached

Regards


Beerhouse Self Drive

In the only sample I have seen so far, there is an attachment Document No 992958719.doc which has a VirusTotal detection rate of 7/56. The Malwr report for that document shows that it downloads a binary from:

bi.pushthetraffic.com/87ty8hbvcr44

There are probably many other download locations. This dropped file has a detection rate of 6/56. The DeepViz report and Hybrid Analysis between then identify what is likely to be Dridex, phoning home to the following servers:

193.90.12.221 (MultiNet AS, Norway)
212.126.59.41 (Letshost / Digiweb, Ireland)
93.104.211.103 (Contabo GmbH, Germany)
155.133.82.82 (FUFO Studio Agata Grabowska, Poland)
212.50.14.39 (Computers Equipnemt, Bulgaria)
91.194.251.204 (TOV Dream Line Holding, Ukraine)
194.116.73.71 (Topix, Italy)
64.76.19.251 (Impsat, Argentina)

Recommended blocklist:
193.90.12.221
212.126.59.41
93.104.211.103
155.133.82.82
212.50.14.39
91.194.251.204
194.116.73.71
64.76.19.251

Malware spam: "Facture : 1985 corrigée" / "Louis - Buvasport [louis64@buvasport.com]"

This French-language spam leads to malware:

From:    Louis - Buvasport [louis64@buvasport.com]
Date:    19 April 2016 at 13:29
Subject:    Facture : 1985 corrigée

Cher Client,

Veuillez trouver en pièce-jointe, la facture de vos achats. SANS FRAIS DE TRANSPORT
Votre marchandise est partie et vous devriez la recevoir dans les prochains jours.

Si vous avez des questions, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter.

Cordialement,

BUVA SPORTS 

Attached is a file 093887283-19.04.2016.zip which contains a semi-randomly named script (e.g. 741194709-18.04.2016.PDF.js) with VirusTotal detection rates of 6/56 [1] [2]. According to these Malwr reports [3] [4] the script downloads a file from one of the following locations:

pushdkim.com/267h67c5e
pay.360degreeinfo.com/267h67c5e

There are probably other scripts with different download locations, the binary has a detection rate of 10/55.The Hybrid Analysis report shows that this executable attempts to download another executable from:

buhjolk.at/files/Yd6aGF.exe

At the moment that location is 404ing and the main payload fails, although that could be easily fixed I guess. This is probably attempting to drop Locky ransomware.

The loader also attempts to interact with some servers belonging to BMG, possibly to generate false data for anyone doing network analysis.

To be on the safe side, it might be worth blocking:

93.79.82.215 (Telesweet, Ukraine)

Malware spam: "Please do confirm the Quote Price and get back to me as soon as possible"

This fake financial spam leads to malware:

From: khlee@ahnchem.com sales
To: 
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2016 13:46:21 +0100
Subject: Re: Quote Price

Dear Sir

FYI,

Please do confirm the Quote Price and get back to me as soon as possible.

Regards
Sales Department

Attached is a fie with an unusual extension, ORDER LIST.ace which is actually a compressed archive (basically a modified ZIP file). It contains an executable ORDER LIST.exe which has a VirusTotal detection rate of 15/56. That same VirusTotal report indicates traffic to:

booksam.tk/pony/gate.php

This is hosted on:

46.4.100.109 (Hetzner, Germany)

That IP address might be worth blocking. The Hybrid Analysis indicates that this steals FTP and perhaps other passwords. This is a Pony loader which will probably try to download additional malware, but it is not clear what that it might be.

Malware spam: "Prompt response required! Past due inv. #FPQ479660" / "Jake Gill"

This fake financial spam has a malicious attachment:

From:    Hillary Odonnell [Hillary.OdonnellF@eprose.fr]
Date:    13 April 2016 at 18:40
Subject:    Prompt response required! Past due inv. #FPQ479660

Hello,

I am showing that invoice FPQ479660 is past due. Can you tell me when this invoice is scheduled for payment?

Thank you,

Jake Gill

Accounts Receivable Department

Diploma plc

(094) 426 8112

The person it is "From", the reference nu,ber and the company name vary from spam to spam. All the samples I have seen have the name "Jake Gill" in the body text. Attached is a semi-random RTF document (for example, DOC02973338131560.rtf).

There seem to be several different versions of the attachment, I checked four samples [1] [2] [3] [4] and VirusTotal detection rates seem to be in the region of 7/57. The Malwr reports for those samples are inconclusive [5] [6] [7] [8] (as are the Hybrid Analyses [9] [10] [11] [12]) but do show a failed lookup attempt for the domain onlineaccess.bleutree.us (actually hosted on 212.76.140.230 - MnogoByte, Russia). The payload appears to be Dridex.

We can see a reference to that server at URLquery which shows an attempted malicious download. It also appears in this Hybrid Analysis report. At the moment however, the server appears to be not responding, but it appears that for that sample the malware communicated with:

195.169.147.88 (Culturegrid.nl, Netherlands)
178.33.167.120 (OVH, Spain)
210.70.242.41 (TANET, Taiwan)
210.245.92.63 (FPT Telecom Company, Vietnam)

These are all good IPs to block.

According to DNSDB, these other domains have all been hosted on the 212.76.140.230 address:

onlineaccess.bleutree.com
egotayx.net
wgytaab.net
emoaxmyx.net
wmbyaxma.net
emeotalyx.net
ezhoyznyx.net
wmeybtala.net
wzhybyzna.net
onlineaccess.bleutree.info
onlineaccess.bleutree.mobi

You can bet that they are all malicious too.

Recommended blocklist:
212.76.140.230
195.169.147.88
178.33.167.120
210.70.242.41
210.245.92.63

Malware spam: "Past Due 04 13 2016 - ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY PLC"

This fake financial email comes with a malicious attachment:

From:    Tran
Reply-To:    Tran, Reuben - ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY PLC [TranReuben1322@telecom.kz]
Date:    13 April 2016 at 16:24
Subject:    Past Due 04 13 2016 - ADVANCED ONCOTHERAPY PLC

Good morning,

Please advise status on these

If shipped, please send invoice & tracking


---------------------------------------------
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail, including any attachments and/or linked documents, is intended for the sole use of the intended addressee and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, proprietary, or otherwise protected by law. Any unauthorized review, dissemination, distribution, or copying is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please contact the original sender immediately by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message and any attachments. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this e-mail are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Xylem Inc.

I have only seen a single copy of this, it is likely that the company name will vary from email to email. The attachment due #46691848.doc has a VirusTotal detection rate of 5/56. According to this Malwr report it downloads a file from:

mgmt.speraelectric.info/flows/login.php

Right at the moment this is just a copy of the Windows Calculator and is harmless, but the payload could be switched later to something more malicious, probably Locky ransomware or the Dridex banking trojan.

PlusServer has a PlusSized problem with Angler

PlusServer GmbH is a legitimate German hosting company. But unfortunately, the bad guys keep hosting Angler EK sites in their IP ranges over and over again.

So far I have seen many /24 blocks which have effectively been burned by out-of-control Angler (and other EK) infections. There are many individual IPs too, but below I list some of the worst blocks (links go to Pastebin).

85.25.102.0/24
85.25.107.0/24
85.25.160.0/24 
85.93.93.0/24
188.138.17.0/24
188.138.70.0/24 
188.138.71.0/24
188.138.75.0/24
188.138.102.0/24
188.138.105.0/24 
188.138.125.0/24 
217.172.189.0/24
217.172.190.0/24

Blocking these ranges will block some legitimate sites, but if Angler is causing you a problem then I would lean towards blocking those ranges and accepting the chance of some minor or moderate collateral damage. There are other bad ranges here for other hosts too.

UPDATE 2016-04-25

Here are some more PlusServer ranges where Angler has been rampant:

85.25.218.0/24
85.25.237.0/24
188.138.25.0/24
188.138.68.0/24

UPDATE 2016-05-10

Heavy Angler activity has also been spotted in the following ranges:

62.75.203.0/24
62.75.207.0/24
85.25.43.0/24 
85.25.79.0/24
85.25.159.0/24
85.25.217.0/24
188.138.33.0/24
188.138.68.0/24
188.138.125.0/24

In addition, some Angler activity has been observed in the following ranges but is not yet widespread (I will update if I see more activity):

62.75.167.0/24
85.25.41.0/24

85.25.74.0/24

85.25.106.0/24
85.25.207.0/24

188.138.41.0/24
188.138.57.0/24
188.138.69.0/24
188.138.102.0/24

PlusServer (or more likely one or more of their resellers) appear to be responsible for a large number of active Angler EK IPs (at a guesstimate, about a quarter). The problem is that some of these ranges are so badly infected (e.g. there are around 48 past and present bad IPs in 188.138.105.0/24) that the only safe option is to block traffic to those network ranges.

With black hat hosts such as Qhoster or Host Sailor and to some extent Agava you can block the entire network ranges and not block anything of value at all. In using PlusServer, the bad guys can hide their evil sites among legitimate sites where administration might fear to block something accidentally. My personal opinion is that admins need to be bold and block anyway.. it should usually be possible to block individual sites where needed.

Baldock is not the same as Badlock

Baldock is not the same as Badlock.

Evil networks to block 2016-04-11

I realise it has been a while since my last list of bad networks you might want to block. Hopefully in the next couple of days I will have another list outlining some bad problems with PlusServer IP ranges, in the mean times here are a load of network blocks with a high concentration of Angler EK and other nastiness. (The links go to my Pastebin with more details).

31.148.99.0/24
51.255.61.48/30
51.255.96.56/30 
51.255.143.80/30
65.49.8.64/26
83.217.11.0/24
85.93.93.0/24
85.143.209.0/24
91.221.36.0/24 
92.83.104.0/21
93.115.38.0/24
94.242.206.0/24 
131.72.136.0/24 
178.57.217.0/24
185.46.9.0/24
185.46.10.0/24
185.49.68.0/24
185.75.46.0/23
185.104.8.0/22 
194.1.238.0/24
204.155.31.0/24 

foocrypt.net / fookey.org / foocrypt.net spam

The line between genius and madness is a fine one. Decide for yourself which side of the line this email is on.

From:    Cryptopocalypse NOW 01 04 2016 [no-reply@foocrypt.net]
Date:    7 April 2016 at 18:24
Subject:    Cryptopocalypse NOW 01 04 2016

Cryptopocalypse NOW 01 04 2016

Now available through iTunes - iBooks @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cryptoapocalypse-now/id1100062356?ls=1&mt=11

Cryptopocalypse NOW is the story behind the trials and tribulations encountered in creating "FooCrypt, A Tale of Cynical Cyclical Encryption."

"FooCrypt, A Tale of Cynical Cyclical Encryption." is aimed at hardening several commonly used Symmetric Open Source Encryption methods so that they are hardened to a standard that is commonly termed 'QUANTUM ENCRYPTION'.

"FooCrypt, A Tale of Cynical Cyclical Encryption." is currently under export control by the Australian Department of Defence Defence Export Controls Office due to the listing of Cryptology as a ‘Dual Use’ Technology as per the ‘Wassenaar Arrangement’

A permit from Defence Export Control is expected within the next 2 months as the Australian Signals Directorate is currently assessing the associated application(s) for export approval of "FooCrypt, A Tale of Cynical Cyclical Encryption."

Early releases of "Cryptopocalypse NOW" will be available in the period leading up to June, 2016.

This is Volume 1 of N, where N represents an arbitrary number greater than 1 but less than infinity.

Limited Edition Collectors Versions and Hard Back Editions are available via the store on http://www.foocrypt.net/

© FooCrypt 1980 - 2016, All Rights Reserved.


Regards,

Mark A. Lane

© Mark A. Lane 1980 - 2015, All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer :  To remove yourself from this email list, kindly goto http://www.foocrypt.net/unsub.html

Err.. no. "Quantum Encryption" is a branch of quantum physics, it's a completely different level of encryption in the same way that an aeroplane is not like a car. Attached is some weird semi-messianic picture..

The email originates from 208.79.219.105 (Loose Foot Computing, Canada). This also happens to be the IP address of:

foocrypt.net
mail0.foocrypt.net

So, the email was sent from the server it is spamvertising. That's normally a pretty certain indicator that the person running the web site is doing the spamming, and that it isn't a Joe Job. If you visit the spamvertised website (not recommended) then you can find a link to a crowdfunding appeal at www.gofundme.com/foocrypt which tells you all you need to know about the credibility of the project..

Yes.. so far it has raised $5 out of a $1,000,000 target in nearly two months. Good luck with the other $999,995.

The sender is apparently one "Mark A Lane" but other than some connections to Australia, I cannot identify an individual behind it. The following website do all seem to be related however:

enalakram.net
fookey.net
fookey.org
foocrypt.net

The closest I can get to contact details is the WHOIS entry for fookey.org:

Registrant ID:90b5527af50723f4
Registrant Name:Mark Lane
Registrant Organization:FOOCRYPT
Registrant Street: P.O. Box 66
Registrant City:Briar Hill
Registrant State/Province:Victoria
Registrant Postal Code:3088
Registrant Country:AU
Registrant Phone:+61.411414431
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:foocrypt@gmail.com

Curiously, that name and address also turns up on this somewhat ungrammatical CV.

Name: Mark Andrew Lane
Postal Address: P.O. Box 66,
Briar Hill, Victoria. 3088.
Telephone: 0411414431
Email: mark.andrew.lane@gmail.com

I mean it would be weird if they weren't related in some way. But that CV mentions nothing about cryptography at all.. a bit of a mystery.

This message was sent to a random and nonexistant email address. Crucially, it does seem to be just random spam and not malware or phishing, but is still best avoided.

Fake boss scams meet AI robocallers in a dangerous escalation of fraud

Many of us will be familiar with the "fake boss" scam. You're sitting at your desk when your CEO suddenly calls and asks you to transfer a large stack of currency to some shady bank account for a business transaction you are not allowed to talk about.

This type of fraud is simple and can often pay out big bucks, but it is also labour intensive. Research has to be done on companies and convincing calls have to be made to unsuspecting minions. Not only does this all take some time, but the more people involved in the scam then the more ways you have to split the booty.. and the greater the change of getting caught.

Now, the notorious Russian gang dubbed Den Duraka by researchers have been discovered using a cunning new technique which makes this type of attack even more dangerous. Instead of relying on human beings to make the phone calls, they have now enrolled an AI-powered robocalling system called which promises to be a game-changer.

Sporting the clumsy Russian acronym LOZHNYY, this is deeply integrated into LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, with feeds into business directories using hacked credentials. Once it has found a CEO to impersonate, it scours the web for video and audio clips to get an idea of accents and mannerisms, and then it starts to research company filings and financial data. All of this is then combined with a wide range of pre-prepared scripts and some basic question-and-answer scenarios to make a deadly weapon in the hands of the scammers.

Some of the conversational AI features are rudimentary, and LOZHNYY sometimes resorts to buzzword-laden nonsense when out of its depth. Victims report that they were not suspicious as this seemed consistent with the behaviour of their CEOs.

Cybersecurity experts are struggling with ways to counter this new threat. At the moment their best advice is to completely ignore any communications from your CEO and indeed any C-level executive. You have been warned!

(If you hadn't spotted the clues in the Russian names above.. this is an April Fools joke)

Malware spam: "Additional Costs" leads to Locky

About the 9000th malicious spam run of the week so far, this one drops Locky ransomware. Again.

From:    Gregg gale
Date:    30 March 2016 at 13:42
Subject:    Additional Costs

Based on our contact (#084715), we're required to inform you about additional costs associated with your account, more information attached.

Reference numbers and sender names vary, the attachments are similar to the ones in this spam run. Various Malwr analyses for the samples I captured [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] show download locations at:

cssrd.org.lb/Wji57q.exe
fabiocaminero.com/2L5pGE.exe

This binary has a detection rate of 7/56. Analysis of the binary [6] [7] [8] shows that it phones home to the same IPs reported here.

Malware spam: "Facture client N° FC_462982347 du 30/03/2016" leads to Locky

This French-language spam is pretending to be a renewal for anti-virus software, however instead it has a malicious attachment:

From:    administrator [netadmin@victimdomain.tld]
Date:    30 March 2016 at 11:09
Subject:    Facture client N° FC_462982347 du 30/03/2016

Bonjour,

Veuillez trouver ci-joint la facture pour le renouvellement de votre antivirus.

Bonne réception

A.Morel

It pretends to come from within the victim's own domain, but this is a simple forgery. The reference number changes from email to email, attached is a ZIP file named consistently with the subject (e.g. FC_462982347.zip). This ZIP file contains a malicious script (typical detection rate 8/56) which then downloads Locky ransomware. According to these automated analyses [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] show the scripts downloading from the following locations (there are almost definitely more):

bezuhova.ru/45t3443r3
thespinneyuk.com/45t3443r3
tishaclothing.co.za/45t3443r3

This dropped binary has a detection rate of 7/56. According to these analyses [6] [7] [8] it phones home to the same servers detailed in this earlier blog post.

Malware spam: "Additional Information Needed #869420" leads to ransomware

This spam has a malicious attachment, leading to ransomware.

From:    Joe holdman [holdmanJoe08@seosomerset.co.uk]
Date:    30 March 2016 at 08:55
Subject:    RE: Additional Information Needed #869420


We kindly ask you to provide us additional information regarding your case.
Please find the form attached down below.

The reference number varies in the subject. The attachment is a ZIP file containing elements of the recipients email address and words like "copy" or "invoices" plus a random number. These unzip into a folder called "letter" to give a .js file beginning with "letter_" and a .wrn file which also appears to be a script but which won't run by default.

An analysis of three scripts [1] [2] [3] shows binary downloads from:

cainabela.com/zFWvTM.exe
downloadroot.com/vU4VAZ.exe
folk.garnet-soft.com/jDFXfL.exe

This binary has a detection rate of 6/56.  Automated analysis [4] [5] shows network traffic to:

93.170.131.108 (Krek Ltd, Russia)
5.135.76.18 (OVH, France / Bondhost, Montenegro)
82.146.37.200 (TheFirst-RU, Russia)

These characteristics are consistent with Locky ransomware.

Recommended blocklist:
93.170.131.108
5.135.76.18
82.146.37.200

Malware spam: "CCE29032016_00034" / "Sent from my iPhone"

The malware spammers have been busy again today. I haven't had time to look at this massive spam run yet, so I am relying on a trusted third party analysis (thank you!)

These spam emails look like the victim is sending them to themselves (but they aren't). Reference numbers vary a little between emails, but the basic pattern is:

From:    victim
To:    victim
Date:    29 March 2016 at 17:50
Subject:    CCE29032016_00034

Sent from my iPhone

Attached is a RAR archive with a name that matches the subject (e.g. CCE29032016_00034.rar) and this contains a malicious .js file that leads to Locky ransomware. My contact tells me that the download locations in the scripts are:

3r.com.ua/ty43ff333.exe
canadattparts.com/ty43ff333.exe
chilloutplanet.com/ty43ff333.exe
gazoccaz.com/ty43ff333.exe
hindleys.com/ty43ff333.exe
jeweldiva.com/ty43ff333.exe
kandyprive.com/ty43ff333.exe
labonacarn.com/ty43ff333.exe
silvec.com/ty43ff333.exe
tbde.com.vn/ty43ff333.exe
zecapesca.com/ty43ff333.exe

This payload has a detection rate of 4/56. The malware calls back to:

84.19.170.249 (Keyweb, Germany / 300GB.ru, Russia)
5.135.76.18 (OVH, France / Bondhost, Montenegro)
109.234.35.128 (McHost, Russia)

McHost is almost purely a black-hat ISP in my opinion and should be blocked on sight.

Recommended blocklist:
84.19.170.249
5.135.76.18
109.234.35.0/24

Malware spam: "Re: New Order P2016280375" / Rose Lu [salesdeinnovative@technologist.com]

This fake financial spam comes with a malicious attachment:

From:    Rose Lu [salesdeinnovative@technologist.com]
Date:    29 March 2016 at 02:30
Subject:    Re: New Order P2016280375

Good Day,

Please find enclosed our new order P2016280375 for your kind attention and prompt execution.

I look forward to receiving your order acknowledgement in due course.

 

Best regards

Rose Lu

Office Manager

Suzhou  Eagle Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Add: No.99, Yin Xin Road, Guo Xiang Town, Suzhou, China

Tel: +86 512 6596 0151  Fax: +86 512 6252 1796

Cell: +86 186 2520 8037

Skype:rose.lu22

Email:luyi@eg-ev.com

Web: http://www.eagle-ev.com

        http://www.eg-ev.com

       http://szeagle.en.alibaba.com

        http://www.chinaelectricvehicle.com

        http://szeagle-golfcar.en.made-in-china.com

Attached is a file New Order P201628037.docx which I have seen a single variant of, with a VirusTotal detection rate of 8/58. The Malwr report is inconclusive, but does appear to to show an OLE embedded object within the Word document. There are some interesting strings near the beginning of the object..

Crypted.exe
C:\Users\user\Desktop\Crypted.exe
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\Crypted.exe

So, this looks like ransomware. Some inexpert fiddling with the contents of the OLE file yields an executable, and automated reports [1] [2] [3] show network traffic to the domain marchborn.no-ip.biz hosted on:

105.112.39.114 (Airtel, Nigeria)

I strongly recommend that you block traffic to that IP. In fact, the entire very large 105.112.0.0/12 is very sparsely populated and contains a small handful of legitimate Nigerian domains plus a load of Dynamic DNS domains (I've recommended blocking those before) so you might want to consider blocking those too.

Malware spam: "Envoi d’un message : 9758W-TERREDOC-RS62937-15000" / Christine Faure [c.faure@technicoflor.fr]

This French-language spam comes with a malicious attachment:

From:    Christine Faure [c.faure@technicoflor.fr]
Date:    28 March 2016 at 16:54
Subject:    Envoi d’un message : 9758W-TERREDOC-RS62937-15000

Votre message est prêt à être envoyé avec les fichiers ou liens joints suivants :

9758W-TERREDOC-RS62937-15000
Message de sécurité

To save you putting it into Google Translate, the body text reads "Your message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attached". Attached is a file 9758W-TERREDOC-RS62937-15000.zip which comes in at least eight different versions each containing a different malicious script (VirusTotal results [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]). The Malwr reports for those samples [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] show a malicious binary downloaded from:

store.brugomug.co.uk/765f46vb.exe
ggbongs.com/765f46vb.exe
dragonex.com/765f46vb.exe
homedesire.co.uk/765f46vb.exe
scorpena.com/765f46vb.exe
pockettypewriter.co.uk/765f46vb.exe
enduro.si/pdf/765f46vb.exe
185.130.7.22/files/qFBC5Y.exe

Note that the last file is not like the others. There may be other download locations. The "765f46vb" binary has a detection rate of 4/57 and according to all those previous reports plus these other automated analyses [17] [18] [19] [20] the malware phones home to:

83.217.8.127 (Park-web Ltd, Russia)
84.19.170.249 (300GB.ru, Russia / Keyweb, Germany)
185.117.72.94 (Host Sailor, Netherlands)
91.200.14.73 (SKS-Lugan, Ukraine)
92.63.87.134 (MWTV, Latvia)
176.31.47.100 (OVH, Germany / Unihost, SC)

All of those look like pretty shady neigbourhoods, although I haven't examined them closely at this point. The payload is the Locky ransomware.

The other binary appears to be another version of Locky which appears to phone home to the same servers.

Recommended blocklist:
83.217.8.127
84.19.170.249
185.117.72.94
91.200.14.73
92.63.87.134
176.31.47.100