A new MBR-based hack is now targeting German users, who are at risk of having their systems rendered unusable by malware being sent via spam messages. Trend Micro recently uncovered what it terms a “noteworthy backdoor” as an attached file in certain spam variants sent to German recipients. The spam sample the security firm found tells recipients they have to pay a certain debt, the details of which are contained in the attachment. Like any backdoor, it (BKDR_MATSNU.MCB) performs certain malicious commands, which include gathering machine-related information sent to its command-and-control (C&C) server. “This particular malware, on top of its ability to remotely control an affected system, is able to wipe out the Master Boot Record – a routine that had previously caused a great crisis in South Korea,” noted Lenart Bermejo, threat response tech lead at Trend Micro.