The provided information describes a malspam campaign dated July 19, 2016, involving malicious .docm files distributed under the campaign name "Documents from work." Malspam campaigns typically involve sending emails with malicious attachments or links designed to trick recipients into opening them, thereby executing malware on their systems. In this case, the malicious payload is embedded within a .docm file, a Microsoft Word document format that supports macros. When users open such documents and enable macros, malicious code can execute, potentially leading to system compromise. However, the data lacks detailed technical specifics such as the malware family, infection vectors beyond the attachment, or post-exploitation behavior. The campaign is classified as malware with a low severity rating and no known exploits in the wild, indicating limited observed impact or sophistication. The threat level is noted as 3 (on an unspecified scale), and no indicators of compromise or affected product versions are provided. Overall, this appears to be a relatively low-impact, macro-based malspam campaign targeting users through social engineering via email attachments.

For European organizations, the primary risk from this threat lies in potential initial infection through user interaction—specifically, opening the malicious .docm attachment and enabling macros. If successful, the malware could lead to unauthorized code execution, data theft, or further network compromise depending on the payload. However, given the low severity rating and absence of known exploits in the wild, the campaign likely had limited distribution or impact. Nonetheless, organizations with employees who frequently receive external emails with document attachments remain at risk, especially if macro execution policies are not strictly enforced. The impact could include data confidentiality breaches, potential lateral movement within networks, and disruption of business operations if the malware includes destructive components. The threat is less likely to cause widespread damage but remains a vector for targeted phishing attacks or initial footholds for more advanced threats.

To mitigate this threat effectively, European organizations should implement strict email filtering to block or quarantine suspicious attachments, particularly .docm files from unknown or untrusted sources. Enforcing Group Policy settings to disable macros by default in Microsoft Office applications and allowing macros only from trusted locations or signed by trusted publishers is critical. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of enabling macros in unsolicited documents and recognizing phishing attempts. Endpoint protection solutions with heuristic and behavior-based detection can help identify and block macro-based malware. Additionally, organizations should maintain up-to-date backups and implement network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement. Monitoring email gateways and endpoints for indicators of compromise related to macro malware campaigns can provide early detection and response capabilities. Finally, incident response plans should include procedures for handling macro-based malware infections.