Avoid losing your email account via fake "New Update On Your Account" emails

What kind of email is "New Update On Your Account"?

Our analysis of the "New Update On Your Account" email revealed that it is spam. This letter states that the recipient's email needs to be updated and redirects them to a phishing website targeting the account's log-in credentials. In addition to losing their email accounts, successfully scammed victims may also lose the content registered through the email.

"New Update On Your Account" email scam overview

The spam letter with the subject "Confirm access to your [recipient_email_address]" (may vary) claims that a new update has been registered to the email account. The recipient is encouraged to review the details of the operation for security reasons. The scam letter also requests that the recipient immediately update their email account.

If users are tricked by this fake message and click the buttons presented therein, they are redirected to a phishing site that mimics the design of their email account sign-in page. The account details (i.e., email addresses and corresponding passwords) entered into this webpage are disclosed to scammers.

However, victims of this scam risk more than just losing their email. These accounts are typically used to register others - hence, through them, access/control might be gained over the associated content.

Therefore, cyber criminals may be able to steal connected online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallet, social networking, social media, messenger, cloud storage, and various other accounts. They may use finance-related accounts to perform fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

Scammers can also pretend to be the owners of hijacked communication accounts and ask the contact for loans or spread malware by sharing malicious files/links.

In summary, by trusting an email like "New Update On Your Account" - users may experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to scammers, immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"New Update On Your Account" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's email account needs to be updated.
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 campaign examples

We have inspected and analyzed thousands of spam emails; "Your Password Is About To Expire Tomorrow", "Verify Your Email Address", and "Large File Send" are just a couple examples of letters that target email account log-in credentials.

It is pertinent to mention that phishing emails can seek other information as well. This mail is also used to facilitate other scams (e.g., sextortion, callback, tech support, etc.) and even to distribute trojans, ransomware, and other malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can contain malicious files as attachments or download links. Infectious files can be Microsoft Office and PDF documents, executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), and other formats.

When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection process is initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, and other messages. The attachments and links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened since that may result in a system infection.

Another recommendation is to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 - as they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be stressed that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, all downloads must be performed from official/verified channels and software activated/updated using legitimate functions/tools (as illegal activation tools ["cracks"] and third-party updaters can contain malware).

We also advise being vigilant when browsing since illegitimate and malicious online content usually appears ordinary and harmless.

We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and updated is essential for device and user safety. Security programs 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 "New Update On Your Account" spam email letter:

Subject: RE: Confirm access to your ********

 

This sender has been verified from ******** safe senders list.

 

Dear ********

 

We have registered an New Update on your account ********

 

For your security, please check the details of this operation:

 

Allow Access

 

Please update your account immediately!

 

Update now

 

it is recommended that you check your external account security.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "New Update On Your Account" spam campaign:

Another example of an email from "New Update On Your Account" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: Notification !!!

Update on your account

Thank you for using our Email server on the pcrisk.com Domain.
We are currently updating our servers for a more secure and efficient mailing service.
Please click the button below to confirm your email address
******** and update your account.

Confirm now

Helpful reminder: At any time, log into your account with your email address; ********.

View site activity, moderate comments, get advanced stats,
and restore your site from anywhere.

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 "New Update On Your Account" 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 not personal. This mail is proliferated in massive campaigns - hence, thousands of users receive identical letters.

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

If you have disclosed log-in credentials - change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

No, merely opening/reading an email will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. Devices are comprised when the malicious attachments or links found in spam mail are opened/clicked.

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

If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) - most likely, yes - the system was infected. However, document formats (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) may need additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate malware. It can remove nearly all known malware infections. However, it must be emphasized that running a full system scan is crucial - since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.

▼ Show Discussion