Avoid having your email account stolen via fake "Server Security Alert" emails

What kind of email is "Server Security Alert"?

After inspecting "Server Security Alert", we determined that it is a phishing email. This spam letter claims that due to the inbox storage limit having been reached, incoming messages have failed delivery. The recipient is instructed to clear the old emails through a promoted fake sign-in webpage.

"Server Security Alert" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Error Message" (may vary) is presented as a service security alert. It states that the recipient has pending messages unable to reach the inbox due to the reached storage limit. The inbox must be cleared to receive incoming emails. The recipient is warned that failing to do so will result in the pending inbound messages being deleted.

As previously mentioned, all these claims are false. Hence, after we clicked the ": Clear clustered mails" button, it resulted in a redirect to a phishing site.

This website was disguised as an email account sign-in page. If a user tries to log in through this site – they will inadvertently disclose their email account password to the cyber criminals behind this spam campaign. It must be mentioned that in addition to losing the exposed email, victims can have the content registered through it stolen as well.

To elaborate, criminals can use hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) to perform fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

Additionally, scammers can steal the identities of communication account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and distribute malware by sharing malicious files/links.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Server Security Alert" – users may experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have provided your log-in credentials to a phishing webpage – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Server Security Alert" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Incoming emails failed to reach the inbox.
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

"Request To Delete Your Email", "IMAP/POP Configuration Error", "You Have New 5 Held Messages", and "New/Old Staff Payroll" are just a few examples of phishing emails we have inspected recently.

Aside from various scams, spam mail is also used to proliferate malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.). These letters can wear a variety of disguises, including as messages from genuine companies, service providers, organizations, institutions, authorities, and other entities.

Therefore, we highly recommend being careful with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

When an infectious file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the malware download/installation process is initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands, while virulent OneNote files require users to click on embedded files/links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be malicious and cause infections. It is important to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also recommend being careful while browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears ordinary and harmless.

Furthermore, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update programs using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to run 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 "Server Security Alert" spam email letter:

Subject: Error Message

******** Server Security Alert
 
Emails are pending and can't be delivered to your inbox folder due to shortage of storage space.
 
Please clear your emails inbound storage to deliver mails to your mailbox.
 
: Clear clustered mails
 
NOTE: Pending emails may be deleted if clustered mails are not cleared.
 
******** Server Notification
This email was sent to ********. TIMESTAMP: 5/3/2023 12:24:05 a.m

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Server Security Alert" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Server Security Alert" 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 mass-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical messages.

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

If you have provided your account credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact relevant 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 trigger any malware download/installation processes. System infection chains are initiated when malicious attachments or links are opened.

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 (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was compromised. However, you might have avoided an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.). These formats can require additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking on embedded files/links, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate threats. It can remove practically all known malware infections. Note that running a complete system scan is crucial – since sophisticated malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.

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