How to avoid falling for phishing attempts like "Email Security Notification"

What is "Email Security Notification"?

Upon reviewing the email, it has been identified that it is a deceptive message (a phishing attempt) with the intention of deceiving recipients into disclosing sensitive information. The email masquerades as a notification from an email service provider and includes a link leading to a phishing website.

More about the "Email Security Notification" scam email

This phishing email has a subject line suggesting it pertains to security notifications. It claims that the recipient's account was accessed from an unusual device or location, providing an IP address. The email urges the recipient to take immediate action to secure their account by logging in through a provided link.

The warning of potential consequences includes the threat of shutting down the email account and permanently losing all data if the suggested action is not taken within 48 hours. The email provides a contact email address and indicates it was sent from an "Admin server".

However, it is important to note that this email is fraudulent and part of a phishing attempt to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive information. Clicking the provided link ("VISIT: ONLINE TO VERIFY YOUR NEW PLATFORM" button) opens a fake login page.

On that webpage, individuals are asked to furnish login credentials (email address and password) under the guise of "verification". This action grants scammers access to the provided details, which they can exploit in various malicious ways.

They may use the compromised email account to send phishing emails to the victim's contacts, attempting to trick them into revealing sensitive information or initiating further cyberattacks. Also, scammers often engage in identity theft by accessing personal information within the compromised email account.

Additionally, scammers may target the victim's other online accounts, attempting to gain access to sensitive information and perpetrate fraudulent activities across multiple platforms. Overall, the misuse of stolen email account login credentials poses significant risks to both individuals and their online networks.

Threat Summary:

Name	Email Security Notification Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	The account was accessed from an unusual device/location
Disguise	Security notification 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.
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Similar scam emails in general

Phishing emails share common traits such as creating urgency or threats, falsely claiming security issues, mimicking legitimate sources, including embedded deceptive links, requesting personal information, and often displaying generic greetings. Examples of phishing emails are "Official Invoice", "New Purchasing Document", and "SharePoint Settlement Agreement".

Recognizing these patterns and exercising caution when faced with unsolicited or suspicious emails can help individuals avoid falling prey to phishing attempts, protecting their sensitive information and online security.

Another important detail about such emails is that they can contain malicious links or attachments to lure recipients into infecting their computers.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

In employing email as a means to distribute malware, threat actors incorporate malicious links or attachments. Clicking or opening these elements can result in the downloading of malware onto recipients' computers. Typically, infections occur when users inadvertently activate the malware themselves

Malicious content is delivered through a variety of file types, encompassing executables (.exe), PDF documents (.pdf), scripts (.js, .vbs), archives (.zip, .rar), shortcuts (.lnk), MS Office files like (.xls, .doc), installer packages (.msi, .dmg), and HTML files (.html, .htm).

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution when dealing with emails instructing you to open links or attachments. Avoid accessing files or links in emails from unfamiliar addresses that seem irrelevant. Ensure regular updates for both the operating system and installed software with the latest patches.

Additionally, employ trusted antivirus and anti-malware solutions. Refrain from engaging with suspicious advertisements or downloading files from dubious sources. When acquiring software, always utilize official pages and app stores.

If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Email Security Notification" email letter:

Subject: ******** Security Notifications

Email Security Notification!

Account User: ********

Our server record indicates that your account was logged in from an unusual device/location today IP: 183.61.185.66

Action Required:
To secure your account, you are required to login to your account via our Secure Server now!

VISIT: ONLINE TO VERIFY YOUR NEW PLATFORM

WARNING:
If you fail to take this action within 48hours, your email account will be shut down and all data will be lost permanently.

Contact Details:

Email: ********

This message was sent from Admin server to: ********

Phishing page employed in this scam:

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Quick menu:

• What is Email Security Notification phishing campaign?
• 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?

Fraudsters obtain email addresses by exploiting data breaches, buying lists from the dark web, or generating random addresses with automated tools. After compiling a list, they utilize mass-emailing techniques, sending identical messages to thousands of recipients, in the anticipation that someone will be deceived by the scam.

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

If you have been targeted by a phishing email and inadvertently disclosed your email account login credentials, take prompt action to safeguard your account. Swiftly change your password and activate two-factor authentication if it is an option. Furthermore, inform your email provider about the incident to ensure additional security measures can be implemented.

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

If you have opened a malicious file attached to an email, there's a potential risk of computer infection, contingent on the file type. Executable files, such as .exe files, carry a heightened risk of introducing malware. On the other hand, certain document files like MS Office documents typically do not infect computers unless users activate macro commands.

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

Accessing an email itself is generally secure. However, the potential risk arises when clicking links or opening attachments within the email, as these actions can lead to system infections.

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

Combo Cleaner is equipped with the capability to identify and eliminate nearly all known malware infections. It is important to acknowledge that sophisticated malware often conceals itself deeply within the system, necessitating a full system scan for effective detection and removal.

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