This article has been created in order to explain to you what is the OneDrive Phishing Scam and how you can remove them as well as all potentially unwanted programs delivered through them.
The OneDrive Phishing Scam are a set of email phishing campaigns that attempt to manipulate that targets into interacting with malicious scripts. At the moment we do not have information about the perpetrators behind it. Our article gives an in-depth explanation of how it propagates and how victims can attempt to remove active infections.
Threat Summary
| Name | Onedrive Phishing Scam |
| Type | Phishing email scam |
| Short Description | The OneDrive Phishing Scam is a recent example of the scam tactic that extorts the targets into interacting with a scam site. |
| Symptoms | Victims will receive email messages that contain the phishing instructions. |
| Distribution Method | Phishing emails. |
| Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Onedrive Phishing Scam. |
OneDrive Phishing Scam – Distribution Ways
OneDrive phishing scams can be distributed using various methods. Usually the malicious actors will use several different techniques at once in order to maximize the number of infected hosts. Phishing scams statistically are mostly being distributed via email messages that are sent in bulk. Usually the emails are modeled to appear as being sent by legitimate companies or services that the recipients may be using. Additionally if their email addresses are cross-linked in public or private databases the body contents may be personalized. This further coerces the victims into interacting with them. In certain cases links to the phishing pages may be placed. The hackers can use short URL links to mask the fact that the address does not point to the legitimate OneDrive address.
A browser window opening up the OneDrive phishing scam can be delivered via infected payloads. Two of the most popular types are the following:
- Software Installers — Setup files of popular software can be modified to show the phishing scam either during installation or after the relevant applications are placed on the victim computers. Typical examples are system utilities, creativity suites and productivity apps.
- Infected Documents — By using various scripts (macros) the phishing pages can be delivered to the victim users. In practice all popular formats can be the carriers of such infections: rich text documents, spreadsheets, databases and presentations. The scams can be linked in the contents or they can call external applications via scripts to display the pages.
To increase the number of infected machines the criminals behind the scam can additionally create numerous landing pages. To fool the users into thinking that they have accessed a legitimate web site the criminals can include security certificates and web design elements taken from the official OneDrive site.
High-volume infections can be caused by malicious web browser plugins which are also known as hijackers. They are made compatible with the most popular web browsers and are frequently uploaded to their respective extension repositories. Using fake developer credentials and user reviews they can confuse the users — the uploaded descriptions promise the additions of new feature or optimizing already existing ones. However once installed these plugins will start the built-in malicious scheme. The most common pattern changes the default settings in order to redirect the victim users to the phishing page.
OneDrive Phishing Scam — Update January 2019
In January 2019 a new email-based campaign was detected which takes advantage of the OneDrive phishing attempts orchestrated by various hacker collectives. The victims will receive email messages that appear as being sent by OneDrive. The captured samples which we have obtained are sent from a non-Microsoft domain called microsoftonedrive.com which is not affiliated with the company.
The messages will notify the recipients that they have two files “awaiting for review” on a OneDrive cloud repository. The number can change as well as the file names which are probably randomly generated from a ready mix of strings. The users will be redirected to a fake OneDrive login page requesting their credentials. If entered they will be instantly reported to the hacker operators behind the campaign.
OneDrive Phishing Scam – In-Depth Overview
Once the phishing page is displayed the victims can expect several different types of malicious behavior. Usually the end goal is to redirect the users to a fake login page which is used to harvest their credentials. The redirected page can be a new address displayed in the same or another tab or a pop-up window. The displayed address may bear a resemblance to the actual OneDrive site both in the name and web design layout.
However upon visiting the OneDrive phishing scam page the site can lead to other malicious behavior and infections. In most cases the site will automatically place tracking cookies that will record all user interactions across the visited sites. The data that is harvested by them can be very extensive. The first group of data represents personal data that can directly reveal the identity of the victim users by looking out for strings such as their name, address, phone number, location, interests and account credentials.
In addition as the web pages can deploy other threats to the computers such as cryptocurrency miners. They are run through scripts executed via the browsers and are designed to take advantage of the available system resources in performing complex mathematical tasks. When a given job is completed and reported to the associated control server the criminals will receive profit in the form of cryptocurrency assets. They will be transferred over to their wallets.
Various warning messages can be presented to the users which can lead to the deployment of malware. In this particular case the files can be masked as OneDrive installers or files that are connected to them such as user manuals, guides, updates and etc. The following examples showcase typical examples of malware associated with this payload delivery mechanism:
- Executable Virus Files — Using OneDrive-related names the criminals can deliver virus files.
- Infected Documents — The OneDrive Phishing Scam pages can spread malicious documents of all popular types: spreadsheets, rich text documents, presentations and databases. Whenever they are opened by the victims a notification box will appear asking them to enable the built-in scripts. If this is done the included virus will be deployed to the victim system.
- Virus Installers — Much like the way some of the strains are distributed the phishing pages can insert malicious installers. They can be bundle installers containing the legitimate OneDrive service. However upon installation a dangerous virus will be placed on the victim computer.
Beware that an additional issue is the creation of intrusive ads. They can cause an additional redirect to sites operated by the same hacker collective or sponsors. In the case of malware search engines the entered queries will not lead to the best possible results. This is a dangerous consequence as it can manipulate the victim users into thinking that they are visiting a legitimate engine. Many of the fake copies use the same design templates as the real ones and in many cases the distinction is not easily made.
In some cases phishing scams, including OneDrive ones, can deliver a Trojan virus infection. These are among the most dangerous types of malware as they connect to a hacker-controlled server using an encrypted connection and allow the operators to have full control of the impacted system. This means that they can spy on the users, hijack their data and overtake control at any given time. In combination with a ransomware threat this can become a very difficult infection to remove.
Remove OneDrive Phishing Scam from Windows and Your Browser
If you want to remove the OneDrive Phishing Scam from your computer, we strongly suggest that you follow the removal instructions posted underneath this article. They have been created with the main idea In mind to help you delete this virus either manually or automatically. Be advised that according to experts the best way to try and remove the software that is causing the OneDrive Phishing Scamming pop-ups is to use an advanced anti-malware software. Such program is created with the idea in mind to fully scan your computer and try to eliminate any traces of unwanted programs while protecting your computer against future infections as well.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove Onedrive Phishing Scam from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Onedrive Phishing Scam from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Onedrive Phishing Scam from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Onedrive Phishing Scam from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Onedrive Phishing Scam from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Onedrive Phishing Scam from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Onedrive Phishing Scam from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove Onedrive Phishing Scam from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Onedrive Phishing Scam
Step 2: Uninstall Onedrive Phishing Scam and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Onedrive Phishing Scam on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Onedrive Phishing Scam there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of Onedrive Phishing Scam from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Onedrive Phishing Scam and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Onedrive Phishing Scam via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Onedrive Phishing Scam files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Onedrive Phishing Scam, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Onedrive Phishing Scam from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase Onedrive Phishing Scam from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall Onedrive Phishing Scam from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Onedrive Phishing Scam from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Onedrive Phishing Scam will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate Onedrive Phishing Scam from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
