Avoid losing your account via fake "Password Reset Confirmation" emails

What kind of email is "Password Reset Confirmation"?

After inspecting the "Password Reset Confirmation" email, we determined that it is spam. The letter states that a request to change the email account password has been received. With this false claim, the phishing mail aims to trick recipients into disclosing their email account log-in credentials.

"Password Reset Confirmation" email scam overview

This spam email informs the recipient of a request to reset their account password. If no action is taken, access to the account will be blocked. The recipient is given the choice of either keeping the old password or changing it.

As indicated in the introduction, all the information provided by this scam email is false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.

The buttons presented in this letter redirect to a phishing website, which mimics the recipient's email account sign-in page. Despite its relatively legitimate appearance, this site is fake, and records entered log-in credentials. The risk exceeds the loss of an email, as scammers may also gain access to the accounts/platforms registered through it.

To expand upon the potential misuse, cyber criminals can steal the owners' identities of socially-oriented accounts (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files.

Furthermore, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, cryptowallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Password Reset Confirmation" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already typed your log-in credentials into a phishing webpage – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Password Reset Confirmation" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Request to reset the email account password has been received.
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 analyzed thousands of spam emails; "Your Password Is Due For Renewal", "Netflix - Update Your Account Information", "Email Protection Report", "Your Netflix Membership Has Expired", and "Review These Messages" are merely some examples of phishing letters.

These deceptive emails primarily target log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. However, other scams are promoted through spam as well, and it is used to distribute malware.

While infamous for being full of grammatical and spelling errors, this mail may also be elaborately disguised as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns in malware proliferation. Deceptive emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

Upon opening, a malicious file initiates the infection chain. Some formats may require additional user interaction to trigger malware download/installation processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant emails or other messages. This content can be malicious and cause system infections. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro execution.

However, malware is not spread exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we also advise exercising caution while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

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

We must stress the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "Password Reset Confirmation" spam email letter:

Subject: Password Reset Confirmation **********

Password Reset Confirmation

You have requested a password reset for your account associated with the email **********.

Visit the link below to reset your password.

Reset Password

To continue using your current password, cancel this request by visiting the link below. The link will expire in 24 hours.

Cancel Request

Failure to take action, access to your mailbox will be blocked.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Password Reset Confirmation" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Password Reset Confirmation" 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?

Despite any relevant details they may contain, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in large-scale campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical emails.

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. If the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened; merely reading an email is harmless.

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

Whether your system was infected might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes. You might have avoided an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats can require extra actions to begin malware download/installation processes (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

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 since high-end malicious software usually hides deep within systems – performing a full system scan is essential.

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