Mal/EncPk-NS

Mal/EncPk-NS is a malicious downloader Trojan that has been linked to various spam email campaigns. The main purpose of the Mal/EncPk-NS Trojan is to enter the victim's computer, establish a backdoor (an unauthorized hole in the infected system's security), and then to connect to a remote server using that backdoor in order to download and install other malware on the victim's computer system. Like most Trojans, Mal/EncPk-NS does not have the capacity to spread on its own and depends on social engineering attacks in order to convince the victims themselves to download and install this malware infection on their computer system.

Mal/EncPk-NS Has Been Linked to a Recent Spam Email Campaign

Mal/EncPk-NS has many aliases and is known differently by different PC security software manufacturers. ESG malware analysts have connected Mal/EncPk-NS to a spam email campaign that tries to scare computer users by claiming that it contains an attached nude photograph of the victim's girlfriend or of the victims themselves. There are many variants of this malicious spam email message, all containing a ZIP file attachment labeled Photos.zip. Of course, this attachment actually contains Mal/EncPk-NS that will be settled automatically just after the victim opens this malicious email attachment.

In some variants of this infection, the ZIP archive may also contain an actual nude photograph to distract the victim while the installation of Mal/EncPk-NS occurs in the background. Most of the messages associated with this spam email campaign will be threatening or imply that the photos are compromising for the victim in some way. ESG security researchers suggest using an updated spam filter in order to intercept these malicious email messages before they arrive in your inbox, and to be extremely careful about opening file attachments contained in unsolicited email messages.

Protecting Your Computer System from Mal/EncPk-NS

There are several measures you can take to protect your computer from a Mal/EncPk-NS infection. These include the following:

1. Use a reliable anti-malware scanner and firewall at all times.
2. Keep your security software and anti-spam filter updated.
3. Never open unsolicited email attachments.
4. Never click on links unless you are absolutely sure what they contain.
5. Always scan all files with a reliable anti-malware program before downloading them onto your computer system.

It is also crucial to bear in mind that, although software can protect your computer system from malware, the best tools you have to protect yourself from malware like Mal/EncPk-NS is common sense and not being careless when going online.