PETRONAS Email Virus

What is PETRONAS Email Virus

PETRONAS Email Virus refers to a malicious email that uses Petronas’s name to distribute highly dangerous malware. Petronas is actually a legitimate Malaysian oil and gas company, and it should be noted that it has nothing to do with this scam. Scammers and malware distributors often use known company names to trick users into opening email attachments and clicking on links.

This email scam is pretty simple. It says that a purchase order with a total amount of $230,000 has been attached to the email and that Petronas is waiting for the invoice so they can send the deposit. The scam is pretty obvious but unfortunately, not all people are aware that malware can be spread via attachments. However, if the malware is initiated, reliable anti-malware would be able to detect it, preventing it from stealing information. This is why having anti-malware installed is so important.

If you receive this email, do not interact with it and do not open any of the attachments. Simply delete PETRONAS Email Virus from your inbox.

How to spot spam emails carrying malware

In most cases, malicious spam emails are rather obvious. For whatever reason, they always contain grammar and spelling mistakes, even if the email is supposed to be official correspondence. If a bank was to email you, there will never be any mistakes in the letter. The PETRONAS Email scam contains numerous mistakes, despite it being supposed official correspondence.

Another thing to take note of in emails is how you are addressed. Companies with which you have business with will use your name when addressing you. You will not be addressed as User, Member, Customer, Sir/Madam, etc. If you are addressed in the latter when you know the sender should know your name, you should be suspicious.

The most obvious sign pointing to the email being spam/malicious is the sender’s random email address. In many cases, spam emails are sent from random addresses. In other cases, the addresses seem more legitimate but it’s still recommended to look into them to see if they actually belong to the people the senders claim to be.

If the email causes any kind of suspicion, you need to be very careful about engaging with it. Before opening attachments, scan them with anti-malware software or a service like VirusTotal. By scanning them, you will be able to determine whether the files are malicious or not.

The PETRONAS Email Virus is spreading LokiBot

The attached file is actually the LokiBot malware. Downloading and opening the attached file would initiate the LokiBot, which is a data stealing trojan. If it’s initiated, the trojan would proceed to steal personal information by recording your keystrokes. It would be able to get information such as logins and passwords, which would lead to stolen accounts, financial loss and other serious damage.

Keylogging malware is very dangerous not only because it can steal login credentials and other sensitive information but also because it can be unnoticeable. It doesn’t show any obvious signs of being installed, and can only be detected with anti-malware software. In an unprotected computer, keyloggers can stay installed for months, secretly stealing information.

PETRONAS Email Virus removal

You can just remove PETRONAS Email Virus from your inbox and be done with it. However, if you have opened the file attached to the email, you need to scan your computer with anti-malware software. It’s very possible that the data stealing trojan is installed on your device, and only anti-malware software can get rid of it.