Avoid having your account stolen via fake "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Upgrade Mailbox Quota"?
After inspecting the "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" email, we determined that it is spam. By claiming that the recipient's email account requires immediate upgrades – this phishing mail aims to trick them into disclosing their log-in credentials.
"Upgrade Mailbox Quota" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Disconnection Notice!" (may vary) states that the recipient's mailbox needs to be upgraded, or they risk getting blocked. The necessary updates can be implemented by clicking the "Upgrade Mailbox" button. It must be stressed that the information provided by this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers or other entities.
After a user presses the button in the letter, they are redirected to a phishing website presented as an email sign-in page. Data typed into this webpage (i.e., email password) is recorded and sent to scammers.
It must be mentioned that since these accounts are typically used to register other content – through a hijacked email, the linked platforms may get stolen as well.
To expand upon the potential misuse, cyber criminals can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social media, social networking, messengers, etc.) and ask for loans/donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious links or files.
Furthermore, should any confidential/compromising content be found on data storage or similar platforms – it could be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes. What is more, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to facilitate fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" may experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have provided your log-in credentials to scammers – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support.
| Name | "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email account must be upgraded or it will be disconnected. |
| Related Domains | revomoto[.]com |
| Detection Names (revomoto[.]com) | Combo Cleaner (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), G-Data (Phishing), Seclookup (Malicious), Sophos (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Serving IP Address (revomoto[.]com) | 185.222.163.222 |
| 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. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
"Visa Awards", "Microsoft Password System Reminder", and "Official Invoice" are merely a couple examples of emails used for phishing.
These letters primarily target log-in credentials (usernames/passwords), personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. However, other scams are promoted through spam mail as well. Furthermore, deceptive emails are utilized in malware distribution.
Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to spread malware. These emails/messages have infectious files attached to or linked inside them. The files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
Once opened, a malicious file triggers the malware download/installation chain. Some formats can require additional user interaction to initiate system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We strongly advise being careful with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious. We recommend using post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro execution.
However, malware is not proliferated exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being vigilant while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is paramount to device/user safety. This software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats. 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 "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" spam email letter:
Subject: Disconnection Notice!
Hello ********,
Upgrade your mailbox quota Now or you will be locked out. Kindly click below to upgrade or you will be disconnected.
Upgrade Mailbox
Best Regards
e-Mail Server © 2024
Don't like this email? Unsubscribe.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" spam campaign:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Upgrade Mailbox Quota" 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 them in massive operations – hence, 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 disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, 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, devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked. Therefore, just reading an email is harmless.
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 – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided triggering an infection if it was a document (.doc, .pdf, .xls, .one, etc.). These formats may need extra actions (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin malware download/installation processes.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove practically all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a full system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems.
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