How to spot fraudulent emails like "Security Risk For Your"

What kind of scam is "Security Risk For Your Email"?

After thorough analysis, our team has determined that the intent of this email is to trick recipients into revealing their personal information. Such emails are classified as phishing endeavors, where the senders, who are malicious actors, intend to defraud recipients by coaxing them into sharing sensitive data on fraudulent websites.

More about the "Security Risk For Your Email" scam

The phishing email opens with a notification about a supposed security risk related to the recipient's email. The email claims that due to a recent email data breach on their server, users are required to re-confirm their email accounts to prevent suspension of unverified users. It emphasizes the need to identify genuine and active accounts.

In order to evade the suspension of the recipient's email address, the email instructs to confirm the usage of the account by clicking on a link labeled "Confirm (recipient's email address)". By doing so, the recipient is led to believe that he or she is verifying the continued use of the service and confirming the ownership of the registered account.

The email employs urgency and the threat of suspension to pressure recipients into taking immediate action, leading them to a link that redirects them to a fraudulent website designed to login credentials (email addresses and passwords).

Clicking the link provided directs users to a phishing webpage meticulously designed to mimic the visual layout of the login page relevant to the recipient's email account. As an illustration, if the recipient utilizes Yahoo Mail, the phishing site replicates the appearance of the Yahoo Mail login page.

Criminals can misuse stolen email logins in harmful ways. They might gain unauthorized entry to the victim's email, risking personal and financial data exposure. Moreover, they can impersonate the victim, sending scams or even malware to contacts. The stolen data can also unlock access to other accounts linked to the same email.

Threat Summary:

Name	Security Risk For Your Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Ysers must re-confirm their email accounts
Disguise	Letter from an email service provider
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.

Similar scam emails in general

Phishing emails pretend to be trustworthy communications to trick recipients. They often use urgent or tempting messages to make people share personal info, logins, or money. These tricky emails can cause problems like identity theft, losing money, or getting malware.

Usually, these emails include links or files. Some examples of phishing emails are "IMAP Is Currently Marked Inactive", "We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device", and "Your Password Has Been Changed".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals often create emails that look real, tempting recipients to open attachments or click links. However, when recipients interact with these attachments or links, they unknowingly introduce malware into their computers.

Typically, malicious individuals employ ISO files, executable files (e.g., .exe), Microsoft Office documents (like .doc, .xls), PDFs, and even scripts (such as .js) to spread malware. Once these files are opened, the malware can activate. The way and extent of infections vary based on the types of infected files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Ensure you acquire software and files exclusively from trusted sources, such as official websites and verified stores. Approach emails with care, especially when dealing with attachments or links from unfamiliar senders. Maintain the regular updating of your computer, antivirus, and other programs to bolster security.

Exercise caution while navigating online: avoid interacting with pop-up ads, notifications from questionable websites, dubious "Download" or similar buttons, and urgent prompts to update software on unofficial websites, among other potential risks.

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 "Security Risk For Your Email" letter:

Subject: Security Risk
      
 
Security risk for your email
********

Due to the latest email data breach on our server it is mandatory that all users must re-confirm their email accounts or we will suspend unconfirmed users, we are sending this notice to all Email Administrator users, in order to filter real and active accounts.

In order to avoid your ******** address from being suspended, please confirm you are still using your account :
Confirm ********
By logging in you are confirming that you are still using our services and that the person registered is the person using the Account.

Phishing website promoted via this email:

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 Security Risk For Your Email phishing scam?
• 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?

Cybercriminals often target a broad audience to trick different recipients and gain unauthorized access to their personal or financial information. These emails often appear credible but lack personalization.

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

If you have unknowingly shared your personal information due to a deceptive email, it is crucial to respond quickly. Take immediate action by changing all relevant passwords, closely monitoring your accounts for any unusual activities, and considering informing appropriate authorities or institutions about the potential security breach.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to this email, is my computer infected?

If you have opened a malicious email attachment, your computer might be compromised. Specific file formats, such as .exe files, pose higher risks. However, with others like MS Office documents, infections typically occur when additional steps like enabling macros are taken.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Typically, there is no risk in simply opening emails. However, the threat arises when you click on malicious links or open attachments within emails sent to deliver malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner will inspect your computer and remove malware. It is proficient at detecting most malware. It is vital to carry out a thorough system scan to ensure the complete removal of advanced malware, as this category tends to hide deep within the system.

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