Are Microsoft and Trend Micro Really Sending Spam?

The usage of well-known and reliable logos in spam messages is not a new thing. Cyber criminals are increasingly using this technique to trick more potential victims and lure them into malicious activities. The most recent spam campaign that uses such technique is related to Microsoft and Trend Micro - two well-known companies worldwide.

In this case spammers are spreading email messages purportedly coming from Microsoft and, according to Maria Alarcon, anti-spam research engineer at Trend Micro, "using the Trend Micro logo in an attempt to look legitimate." It seems that this campaign is basically targeting Latin American users. The received message informs the recipient that his or her system is automatically sending spammed email messages that contain a virus and that they should install its anti-spam software, which is available for download at the end of the message.

The fact that the said emails are using the logos of two popularity companies really increases spammers' possibility to fool more people than they could fool without the two logos. As a result, the attachment is downloaded by a larger group of people. Here you can see a screenshot of what you will download after clicking on the provided link:

As you can see, users will download the vizualizar.exe executable file, which Trend Micro has detected as TROJ_DLOAD.PW. This includes the download filestander2009.exe, an information stealer detected as TSPY_BANKER.GGB. Trend Micro experts note that BANKER spyware often targets Brazilian users. And it now seems that cyber criminals are not going to stop this trend.