Avoid getting scammed by "Daily Quarantined Message Report" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Daily Quarantined Message Report"?
Our analysis of the "Daily Quarantined Message Report" email revealed that it is spam. Letters belonging to this campaign are presented as genuine reports concerning recipients' inboxes. This spam mail aims to steal email accounts by promoting a phishing website.
"Daily Quarantined Message Report" email scam overview
The email with the subject "User's inbox is full, mailbox is unable to send email " ID#:952868" (may vary) is disguised as a "Daily Quarantined Message Report". It lists fake emails that were withheld and not delivered to the recipient's inbox. The nonexistent messages have important-sounding subjects that are intended to lure the recipient into checking them out. However, when an attempt to do so is made - the user is redirected to a phishing website.
It is noteworthy that the deceptive site will imitate the recipient's email sign-in page. Despite the potentially legitimate appearance of the website, it is fake and designed to record the information provided to it (i.e., email account passwords).
Cyber criminals are particularly interested in emails as they are typically used to register other content, which they can then attempt to steal. To elaborate, linked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, money transferring, etc.) may be used to make fraudulent transactions and/or online purchases.
Scammers can also pretend to be the owners of social accounts (e.g., emails, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts for loans/donations or proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.
In summary, by trusting spam emails like "Daily Quarantined Message Report" - users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already provided your account log-in credentials - immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Daily Quarantined Message Report" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient is presented with a fake list of quarantined and undelivered emails. |
| 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
"Incoming Messages ERROR Notification", "Google - Qatar World Cup Lottery", "Used Memory Account Storage", and "New Update On Your Account" are merely some examples of phishing emails.
In addition to various scams, these letters are used to distribute trojans, ransomware, and other malware. Deceptive emails can make a variety of false claims, and they can even be disguised as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, and other entities.
Due to how prevalent spam mail is, we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails proliferate malware by distributing virulent files. These files can be attached to or linked inside the letters. Infectious files can be executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so on.
When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - the infection chain (i.e., malware download/installation) is initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly advise against opening the attachments/links found in suspicious or irrelevant emails and messages, as they can be malicious and cause system infections. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
Aside from spam mail, malware is also proliferated via dubious download channels (e.g., freeware and third-party sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.), illegal program activation tools ("cracks"), fake updates, online scams, and malvertising. Hence, we advise downloading only from official/verified sources and activating/updating software using genuine functions/tools.
Another recommendation is to be cautious when browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove threats/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 "Daily Quarantined Message Report" spam email letter:
Subject: User's inbox is full, mailbox is unable to send email " ID#:952868
Daily Quarantined Message Report
********
11/22/2022 3:59:01
View, Search, Sort Report | Request Current Report | Change Report Settings
Spam: 5 (0 not shown)*
View | Release Important update - COVID-19 Situation 11/22/2022 3:59:01 from (11/22/2022 3:59.22 KB)
View | Release Overdue invoices - ******** 3:59:01 AM:45 AM (216.87 KB)
View | Release Statement of account - ******** 11/22/2022 3:59:01 from (11/22/2022 3:59.45 KB)
View | Release Shipping update. 11/22/2022 3:59 (116.41 KB)
View | Release Invoices Pending 10 11/22/2022 3:59 from (46.31 KB)
Malware: 0 (0 not shown)*
Outbound: 0
* Some messages may not be shown due to your Report Settings
2022 , All Rights Reserved
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Daily Quarantined Message Report" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Daily Quarantined Message Report" 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 distributed in large-scale operations - hence, thousands of users receive identical messages.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you've 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 data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - immediately contact the appropriate 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. Systems are infected when 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?
Whether your device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable - most likely, yes - the system was infected. However, documents (.pdf, .xls, .doc, etc.) may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) to start downloading/installing malicious software.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that running a complete system scan is essential - since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.
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