Avoid having your account stolen through fake "AppFolio" emails

What kind of email is "AppFolio"?

After inspecting this "AppFolio" email, we determined that it is fake. This spam letter claims that all of the property manager accounts require upgrades. The email aims to deceive recipients into disclosing their log-in credentials. It must be emphasized that this phishing mail is in no way associated with the actual AppFolio, Inc.

"AppFolio" email scam overview

The email with the subject "AppFolio Property Manager Account Upgrade" (may vary) notifies the recipient that all accounts are undergoing maintenance and must be updated. Those not upgraded within 48 hours will be suspended for security reasons.

After clicking the "UPGRADE ACCOUNT" button, we were redirected to a phishing site disguised as the AppFolio sign-in webpage. Information (e.g., log-in credentials, etc.) entered into phishing websites or files is recorded and sent to scammers.

Hence, victims of this scam mail can lose their AppFolio accounts. When cyber criminals gain access to platforms containing personally identifiable and finance-related information – they can steal the victim's identity, make fraudulent transactions, or use the data for other nefarious purposes.

If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. It might also be necessary to contact the appropriate authorities.

Threat Summary:

Name	"AppFolio" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's AppFolio account must be upgraded to prevent suspension.
Disguise	AppFolio
Related Domains	inkishaf[.]org
Detection Names (inkishaf[.]org)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (inkishaf[.]org)	212.1.210.98
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 investigated thousands of spam emails; "Notice Of Regular Maintenance", "IMAP Is Currently Marked Inactive", and "Compensation For People Scammed by African Countries" are merely a few examples of ones used for phishing.

Various scams are facilitated through spam messages, and they are even utilized in malware distribution. This mail can be riddled with errors or competently disguised as letters from legitimate companies, institutions, organizations, service providers, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails/messages can include malicious files. They can be attached to or linked inside this mail. Virulent files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

Upon opening, a malicious file begins downloading/installing malware. However, some formats may require extra actions to start infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. The attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious. It is important to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

However, malware is not distributed exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise downloading only from official and verified sources. Furthermore, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

Another recommendation is to be careful while browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

We must emphasize the importance of having a dependable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software 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 "AppFolio" spam email letter:

Subject: AppFolio Property Manager Account Upgrade

ACCOUNT UPGRADE

Dear User,

We are undergoing maintenance therefore all accounts must be upgraded. This is to enhance security in your appfolio accounts.
Any accounts not upgraded in 48 hours would be suspended.
Please follow the link below to upgrade your account.

Best Regards
Administrator.
appfolio
PROPERTY MANAGER

UPGRADE ACCOUNT

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "AppFolio" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "AppFolio" 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 this mail in massive operations – 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 log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

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

Merely reading an email will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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 an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional actions to start downloading/installing malware (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate nearly all known malware infections. Note that performing a full system scan is paramount since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

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