Avoid having your account stolen via fake "Your Password Changed" emails

What kind of email is "Your Password Changed"?

The "Your Password Changed" spam email impersonates a notification relating to a password change on the recipient's mail account. The purpose of this fake letter is to lure recipients into visiting a phishing website that targets email log-in credentials (passwords). It must be emphasized that this spam mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.

"Your Password Changed" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Mail account password change" (may vary) states that the recipient's email password was changed on the specified date. The letter also indicates that the change was made through a device located in North Korea.

If the recipient does not recognize this activity, the scam email informs them of the possibility that their account was compromised. In which case, the recipient is instructed to reset their password, review the security information, and learn ways to secure their email further.

All these steps contain a link leading to a phishing site. It is presented as an email account sign-in page. It records provided information (i.e., mail password) and sends it to cyber criminals. The unauthorized access can be variously abused, and it could potentially extend to the accounts/platforms registered through the email.

To elaborate on this, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social media, social networking, messengers, etc.) and ask the contact/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and distribute malware by sharing malicious links/files.

Furthermore, confidential/compromising content discovered on data storage or similar platforms could be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes. What is more, hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

In summary, victims of scam mail like "Your Password Changed" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing site – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Your Password Changed" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's email account password was changed.
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 written about thousands of spam campaigns; "Virus Activities Were Detected", "Foreign Compensation Commission", "Invoice Request", and "Switch To New Server" are just some of our newest articles on mail that promotes phishing scams.

These emails most commonly seek log-in credentials (usernames/passwords) of various accounts, personally identifiable data, and finance-related information. However, other scams are facilitated through spam mail as well. It is also used to proliferate malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).

Due to how widespread and potentially well-made spam can be – we strongly recommend being vigilant with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing virulent files. They can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. Infectious files come in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

Merely opening such a file can be enough to initiate the system infection chain. However, some formats require additional actions. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We recommend exercising caution with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspicious mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful/malicious.

However, malware is not distributed only through spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being careful while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. This software must be used to perform 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 "Your Password Changed" spam email letter:

Subject: Mail account password change

Mail account
Your password changed

Your password for the Mail account - was changed on 3.5.2024 19:11:17 (GMT).

Country/region: North Korea
Platform: Windows
Browser: Chrome
IP address: -

If this was you, then you can safely ignore this email.

If this wasn't you, your account has been compromised. Please follow these steps:
1. Reset your password.
2. Review your security info.
3. Learn how to make your account more secure.

You can also opt out or change where you receive security notifications.

Thanks,
The Mail account team

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Your Password Changed" spam campaign:

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▼ 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 "Your Password Changed" 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?

Regardless of any relevant details that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail by the thousand with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.

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

If you have provided your account 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, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

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

No, opening/reading an email will not trigger any system infection processes. Malware download/installation is initiated once a malicious attachment or link is opened.

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 device was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .pdf, .xls, .one, etc.). These formats can require additional interaction to jumpstart malware download/installation chains (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded files/links, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate all kinds of threats. It is capable of removing most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – therefore, running a complete system scan is essential.

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