Avoid losing your email account via "HP ePrint" phishing scam emails

What is "HP ePrint" email scam?

"HP ePrint Email Scam" refers to a spam campaign. These emails attempt to trick recipients into trying to log into their mail accounts through a phishing website - in order to view a fake scanned document sent to them. Therefore, by trusting these fake letters - recipients can lose their email accounts and experience other serious issues.

"HP ePrint" email scam overview

The "HP ePrint" scam emails inform recipients that they have an email (with an attached scanned document) waiting for them. This content was supposedly sent from an HP ePrint user.

These letters contain a link that redirects to a phishing site, which requests users to log into their email accounts as confirmation. This website is designed to record data (i.e., passwords) entered into it. Hence, it is impossible to sign into any account through it. Furthermore, information typed into it will be disclosed to the scammers behind the spam campaign.

If attempts to log in through this phishing page have already been made, the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts must be changed immediately.

Emails are especially targeted due to being connected with (e.g., used to register) other accounts. Hence, through stolen emails - control might be gained over the content associated with them.

For example, communication accounts (e.g., emails, social media, messengers, etc.) can be used to steal the owner's identity and ask their contacts for loans. These platforms can also be employed to spread malware by sharing malicious files/links. Finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scams like the "HP ePrint" emails - can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	HP ePrint Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam emails claim to contain a scanned document sent to the recipient.
Related Domains	jkhp0ni[.]ml
Detection Names (jkhp0ni[.]ml)	Fortinet (Phishing), Webroot (Malicious), Abusix (Spam), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Spam campaigns in general

"Your Outlook Account was logged in", "WalletConnect Email Scam", "you have used up your mail storage", "Email Removal Notice", "Your email account has been reported for spam abuse", and "CTT Email Scam" are some examples of phishing spam campaigns.

Deceptive emails can wear various disguises and have different aims. The end-goal of spam mail is to generate revenue for the cyber criminals behind them. In addition to phishing and other scams, these letters are also used to proliferate malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, etc.). Spam mail is widespread; therefore, it is advised to exercise caution with incoming emails and messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can have malicious files attached to them or contain download links of such files. They can be in various formats, e.g., Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archives, executables, JavaScript, etc. When the files are opened - the infection chain is jumpstarted.

For example, Microsoft Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands. This process occurs upon opening in pre-2010 Microsoft Office versions. Later versions have "Protected View" mode that prevents this; instead, users can manually enable macros (i.e., editing/content).

It is noteworthy that infectious documents can contain deceptive messages intended to trick users into allowing macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Dubious and irrelevant emails should not be opened. The attachments and links found in such mail - must not be opened since they can cause system infections. It is recommended to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010.

Aside from spam emails, malware is also spread via untrustworthy download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. Hence, it is crucial to download from official/verified sources and activate/update programs with tools provided by genuine developers.

It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and updated. This software has to be used to run regular system scans and to remove threats and issues. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "HP ePrint" scam email letter:

Subject: Scanned secured document from HP ePrint user

This email and attachment are sent on behalf of  - .

 

If you do not want to receive this email in future, you may contact  -  directly or you may consult your email application for spam or junk email filtering options.

 

Internal Memo-Note takes effect on 11/10/2021.pdf

 

Regards,
HP Team

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted through the "HP ePrint" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is HP ePrint spam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Spam emails are not personal, and the same letters are sent to thousands of users. The cyber criminals distribute this mail hoping that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

If you have provided account credentials - immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support. And if the disclosed data was of a different personal nature (e.g., credit card numbers, ID card details, etc.) - contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, opening a spam email will not trigger any infection processes. Malware download/installation is initiated when the attachments or links present in these emails are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

If the opened file was an executable, then most likely, your system was infected. However, you might have avoided triggering an infection if the attachment was a document (e.g., .pdf, .doc, etc.), as these files can require additional actions (e.g., macro commands enablement) to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices, detect and eliminate practically all known malware infections. However, it is crucial to perform a full system scan, as high-end malicious software tends to hide deep within systems.

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