How to spot fake emails like "Authentication Required"?
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Authentication Required"?
Upon inspection, we have determined that this email is fraudulent and contains an attachment. It intends to mislead unsuspecting individuals into divulging personal information. Such emails are referred to as phishing emails. It is advised that recipients disregard such emails.
More about the "Authentication Required" scam email
This email requests the recipient to provide authentication credentials (email address and password), which are supposedly required to access a particular resource. The recipient is prompted to use a work or business account for authentication.
Scammers behind this email aim to trick the recipient into providing login credentials directly via email or the attached HTML file. The attachment opens a fake page identical to this phishing email's body.
Stolen login credentials are a valuable commodity for scammers, who can use them to carry out various malicious activities. They can use the stolen credentials to access sensitive information, such as bank accounts, social media accounts, and online shopping accounts.
Once scammers can access financial accounts, they can conduct fraudulent transactions or steal funds. Also, scammers can use stolen credentials to send malicious emails or messages to contacts, spreading malware or other harmful software.
They can also use sensitive information obtained from the stolen credentials to blackmail or extort victims and carry out other malicious activities.
| Name | Authentication Required Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Authentication required |
| Disguise | Important encrypted corporate email |
| Detection Names (Attachment) | Avast (Other:Malware-gen [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (Trojan.HTML.Hidden.1.Gen), ESET-NOD32 (HTML/Phishing.Gen), Ikarus (Phishing.HTML.Doc), Microsoft (Trojan:HTML/Phish.SA!MTB), 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Most phishing emails have a few things in common. Firstly, they usually come from an unfamiliar sender or appear to be from a legitimate source but with a slightly altered email address. Secondly, they often create a sense of urgency or importance and try to convince the recipient to take immediate action.
Finally, they usually contain a link or attachment that is designed to look legitimate but actually leads to a fake website or malware download. Examples of phishing emails are "HR Added You To The Working Group Email Scam", "This Is A Secure Message Email Scam", and "Webmail Account Maintenance Email Scam".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Users can infect their computers via email by opening malicious attachments or clicking on links within the email that lead to infected websites. Once the malware is injected, it can allow the attacker to take control of the victim's computer, steal sensitive information, or encrypt files and demand a ransom.
In certain cases, malware may require additional user interaction, such as enabling macros commands in a malicious MS Office document, in order to fully infiltrate the system.
Malware can be distributed through various types of files such as executable files (.exe), batch files (.bat), script files (.vbs, .js), archive files (.zip, .rar), macro-enabled documents (.docm, .xlsm), and many more.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Keep your operating system and software up to date with the latest security patches. Be cautious when opening email attachments or clicking on links, especially if they are from unknown senders or suspicious sources. Use reputable antivirus software and scan your computer regularly for potential threats.
Avoid downloading files or software from unverified sources, such as torrents or unsecured websites. 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 "Authentication Required" email letter:
Subject:
Authenticaton Required
Authenticate using your work or business account.
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 Authentication Required 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?
Spammers send out identical letters to thousands of people with the expectation that they will fool someone. Such unsolicited emails are never customized or personalized.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
In case you have shared any account credentials, it is recommended that you change all passwords promptly. Moreover, if you have shared any other personal details, such as credit card information or ID card details, it is advisable to contact the relevant authorities without delay.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?
The file attached to this email is not designed to infect a computer. However, links and files in emails sent by cybercriminals can be used to distribute malware.
I have read an email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Merely opening an email is entirely safe. However, the action of clicking on links or opening attached files within the email is what can result in the infection of the system.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Certainly, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all recognized malware infections. However, it is important to note that sophisticated malware tends to conceal itself deep within the system. Therefore, performing a complete system scan is imperative.
Outstanding!
▼ Show Discussion