Do not trust fake "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update"?
Our examination of the "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" email revealed that it is spam. This letter is presented as a notification from Microsoft regarding urgent updates to the recipient's email account. This scam mail promotes a phishing website that records email passwords entered into it.
"Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" email scam overview
The letter with the subject "Notice!!! Email Update Required" (may vary) attempts to create an impression of legitimacy by employing Microsoft's name and the Windows logo. It states that the latest updates must be applied to the recipient's email account to avoid its termination. It must be stressed that this spam mail is in no way associated with the actual Microsoft Corporation.
After we pressed the "Update Account" button presented in this spam letter, it resulted in a redirect to a phishing website. It was disguised as an email account sign-in page. Log-in credentials entered into this site will be sent to the cyber criminals behind this spam campaign.
In addition to stealing the exposed emails, the criminals may also gain control over content registered through them. To elaborate, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, etc.) and ask their contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and distribute malware by sharing malicious files/links.
Furthermore, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make unauthorized transactions and/or online purchases.
In summary, by trusting an email like "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" – users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing website – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's email requires updates to avoid the account's termination. |
| Disguise | Microsoft |
| 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
"Email Access Is Set To Expire", "Sales Contract", "Improvements To All Our e Mail Servers", "Reconfirm Shipping Documents", and "McAfee FINAL WARNING" are merely some examples of phishing emails we have inspected recently.
These letters can be variously disguised, including as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, and other entities. Aside from facilitating various scams, this mail is also used to proliferate malware.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails can contain infectious files as attachments or links. These files can be in various formats, e.g., executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.
When a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands, while infectious OneNote files require users to click on embedded links/files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. The attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent. Another recommendation is to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro command execution.
However, malware is not proliferated only through spam mail. Therefore, it is also important to be vigilant while browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy sources. We also advise activating and updating software using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.
It is essential to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs must 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 "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" spam email letter:
Subject: Notice!!! Email Update Required
Microsoft Corporation
Dear -
Your Email Account requires the latest update.
Kindly use the link below to update your account to avoid termination.
Update Account
- C-panel Host.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Microsoft Corporation - Email Account Update" 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. Cyber criminals distribute them in mass-scale campaigns with the hopes 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 your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you have disclosed all the private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, 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/reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation chains. System infections are jumpstarted when malicious attachments or links are opened.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking on embedded content, etc.) to start downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is crucial – since sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.
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