Security specialists alerted of a new high-quantity danger known as the Quantum Code spam email campaign which targets thousands of computer users globally..
Quantum Code Spam Emails Spread All Around The Globe
Security specialists detected a dangerous new hacker-controlled initiative which sends out malicious email messages in a campaign known as the Quantum Code spam. Unlike previous versions this one focuses on a lot of different templates which are used to trick the victims into clicking on the inserted malicious hyperlinks. We would like to remind our readers that the majority of these cases lead to dangerous virus infections. They may cause one of the following consequences:
- Dangerous Malware Infections – The host computers can be presented with malicious attachments or hyperlinks that can lead to a dangerous malware. At the current moment this is not the case with this particular strain however a lot of other similar campaigns have this as the main objective. Recently it has become a popular method to attach Office documents that may pose of user interest – financial invoices, letters, invitations and etc. When the user opens them up in the relevant application (spreadsheets software or word processor) they are asked to enable dangerous macros to access the contents. The emails usually pose as being sent from a legitimate and well-known person, company, organization or institution. The hackers attempt to mimic them by inserting almost identical text, graphics and other familiar content.
- Browser Hijackers Installation – The spam content can lead to a browser hijacker installation. These are malicious browser extensions which can overtake the computer users web browsers including the most popular ones such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer and Safari. All important settings are changed to reflect hacker-specified options – the default home page, new tabs page and search engine. In addition most of them also harvest the stored browsing history, cookies account credentials and bookmarks and can actively spy on their activity in real time.
- Redirects – The spam messages may redirect the users to various hacker-controlled download sites or ad networks which can either infect the victims with viruses or generate revenue for them. In many cases the users can get overwhelmed with all sorts of surveys and pop-ups.
- Botnet Recruitment – Victim computers can get recruited into a worldwide botnet operation which can be used for DDOS attacks against web servers, spam email distribution and other malicious activities.
The Quantum Code spam campaign at the moment is being distributed mainly by imposing phishing contents. It represents information that poses as stock trading software that focuses on binary options and has been formerly known as “The Azure Method”. The majority of the sent messages contain hyperlinks which lead to hacked sites that feature a series of redirects. The name of the spam campaigns comes from the last redirect in the chain which promotes a website known as “Quantum Code”.
The specialists who have come upon the Quantum Code spam emails have not detected an active malware infection campaign currently associated with the ongoing distribution efforts. However it is very likely that such a threat may arise. This is the reason why we recommend all of our users to use a quality anti-malware solution to protect themselves from imminent danger and remove any active infections that are caused by redirects, browser hijackers, dangerous scripts and all forms of viruses.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
The ongoing messages are of the following types:
- A counterfeit job offer from a HR representative that offers a job to the recipients of the message. The email offers an attractive salary and is written in German. It contains a hyperlink which allegedly contains more information about the proposal.
- Another almost identical looking job offer which is written in English.
- Other types of similar email contents.
Quantum Code example email message
The sources come from all kinds of spoofed, hacked or hacker-controlled mailboxes hosted on various domains. The interesting characteristic is that the campaign does not utilize any of the free email hosting solutions that are popular with the consumers. As a matter of fact the hackers have used familiar looking domains which attempt to fool the recipients into thinking that the email is actually sourced from a legitimate company. Examples include domains such as: yahho.ca, realfreedate.com, delvacchioleather.it and etc.
Its interesting to note that the social engineering strategy is employed through the whole of the imposed criminal chain – from the start of the emails, the redirects and the final Quantum Code spam site. It itself shows a video message shown by an actor, here is the transcript:
Hi there. My name is Michael Crawford. Yes, that guy you might have read about in Forbes and other financial magazines. I’m also called the Wall Street Wizard, the Millionaire Trader, and the nicest rich guy in the world. So why those names? Well because I love money. As you can see, I make a lot of money. I’m very good at it.
This is my own private jet. I’m just back from one of the many holidays I take every year all around the world.
But I’m not your average jerk millionaire. I’m also a well-known philanthropist. I like to help people more than anything else. And I do this on a regular basis, or you might have read some articles about me before. This is how you probably ended up on this website today.
Anyway, today is your lucky day. I’m about to transform you into my next success story.
And no, I don’t want anything in return. I don’t need anything from you. If you read about me in Forbes, you know you know that I help people making a lot of money for free.
I just need a few minutes of your time, right now…
The message presents a counterfeit message which aims to make the users believe that they are truly being fed quality information. As always such redirects and hacker-operated campaigns can pose a serious threat to the security of the target computers. We highly recommend that all users download a quality anti-malware solution to protect themselves and remove any active infections with only a few simple mouse clicks.
SpyHunter anti-malware tool will diagnose all current threats on the computer. By purchasing the full version, you will be able to remove all malware threats instantly. Additional information about SpyHunter / Help to uninstall SpyHunter
