Do not trust emails claiming your organization needs more data for security

What kind of email is "Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure"?

Our inspection of the "Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure" email revealed that it is spam that operates as a phishing scam. These letters target the log-in credentials of recipients' email accounts by offering the latest tech and security innovations.

"Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure" overview

This spam email alerts recipients that there are "latest innovations", which they should not miss. This mail encourages recipients to explore the novel changes, as their organization requires more information to secure their email accounts. As mentioned in the introduction, all of the information provided by these letters is false. Hence, when the "Secure Email Address" button is clicked, it redirects to a phishing website.

What is noteworthy about the page - is that it mimics the design of the recipient's email service provider's website. The log-in credentials (passwords) into this fake sign-in page will be recorded and sent to the scammers behind this spam campaign.

With this data in their possession, the cyber criminals can steal not only the exposed email accounts but also the content registered through them. Scammers may also gain control over various communication platforms, finance-related accounts, or other services.

To elaborate, criminals can use social accounts (e.g., emails, social media/networking, messengers, etc.) to ask the contacts for loans or spread malware - under the guise of the real owners. Stolen online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, and other accounts that deal with money - could be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

In summary, by trusting emails like "Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure" - users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already exposed your log-in credentials - change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's organization needs more data to secure their email and there are new tech/security innovations for the mail account.
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.

Phishing spam campaigns examples

"BRITISH CAMELOT ONLINE LOTTERY", "YоuTubе Suppоrt Shared An Item", "FIFTH THIRD BANK email scam", and "Board Approved Payroll" are some phishing spam campaigns that we have analyzed recently.

Aside from various scams, this mail is also used to distribute infectious files designed to infiltrate trojans, ransomware, or other malware into recipients' devices.

These letters can contain a wide variety of information and claims, which can be disguised as messages from existing companies, organizations, service providers, or other entities. Due to how widespread spam mail is, we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails proliferate malicious files as attachments or links (leading to sites capable of infiltrating malware into systems or tricking users into downloading/installing it themselves). These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so on.

Once a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection process (i.e., malware download/installation) is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend being careful with incoming emails and other messages. The attachments and links found in spam mail must not be opened since they can be malicious and cause infections. It is essential to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010, as they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.

Aside from spam mail, malware is distributed via dubious download sources (e.g., freeware and free file-hosting sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), illegal program activation tools ("cracks"), fake updaters, online scams, malvertising, and so forth.

Therefore, we also advise downloading only from official/verified channels and activating/updating programs using legitimate functions/tools. It is just as important to be vigilant when browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears ordinary and innocuous.

It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure" spam email letter:

Subject: ******** Email Address Verification 11/18/2022 11:56:45 a.m.
 
This is your sign to register-don't miss out on all the latest innovations.

Having trouble viewing this email? | View as a web page

Notification ********.

Your organization "********" needs more information to keep your account secure.

So, don't delay, go to Learn more and get started on exploring the latest in tech innovations.

Secure Email Address    

Copyright 2022 ******** Corporation.

Unsubscribe | Privacy Statement

One Mailserver Way, Redmond, WA 98052 USA

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted through this spam campaign:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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.

Quick menu:

• What is "Your Organization Needs More Information To Keep Your Account Secure" phishing email?
• 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 distributed in massive operations - therefore, thousands of users receive identical letters.

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

If you've disclosed account credentials - immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - contact relevant authorities without delay.

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

No, infection processes are initiated when the attachments/links found in spam mail are opened/clicked.

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

Whether your device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. When opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. While document formats (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate nearly all known malware infections. It is noteworthy that high-end malicious software usually hides deep within systems - hence, running a full system scan is essential.

▼ Show Discussion