Avoid losing your account via fake "Email Password Must Renew Soon" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Email Password Must Renew Soon"?
Our inspection of the "Email Password Must Renew Soon" email revealed that it is spam. This hoax message informs recipients that their email account password will expire soon. The goal is to trick them into disclosing their account log-in credentials to a phishing website.
"Email Password Must Renew Soon" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "WebMail Account [recipient's_email_address] will expire soon" (may vary) is presented as an automated notification. It states that the recipient's email password is close to expiring. If it expires, service interruptions are expected, and the user will need the administrator to extend the deadline.
It must be stressed that the information in this scam email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.
The fake message instructs the recipient to authenticate their account by pressing the "KEEP MY PASSWORD" button. It initially redirects to a webpage stating – "WELCOME TO YOUR ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATIVE." – and instructing to – "Please click below to continue with Admin setup to verify ownership". Completing these instructions results in a redirect to a phishing site that imitates an email account sign-in page.
Websites of this kind record entered information and send it to scammers. Hence, by trusting the page promoted through this spam campaign – recipients expose their email accounts. Hijacking mail is a common malicious activity, as these accounts tend to include sensitive data and may serve as a gateway for gaining access to the content registered through them.
For example, cyber criminals can steal the identities of account owners (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 files/links.
Furthermore, confidential/compromising content found on compromised accounts (e.g., emails, data storage, file sharing, etc.) can be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes.
What is more, criminals can use stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, online banking, etc.) to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.
In summary, victims of scam mail like "Email Password Must Renew Soon" can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing website/file – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support without delay.
| Name | "Email Password Must Renew Soon" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email password will expire soon. |
| 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
We have investigated countless spam campaigns; "Email Account Requires Verification", "Messages Have Been Blocked By Your Server", "Official Notification: Performance Evaluation Access", and "Irrevocable Payment Order" are just a few of our latest articles on phishing emails.
Mail this kind primarily seeks log-in credentials, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. However, various scams are promoted through spam – including sextortion, tech support, refund, advance fee, inheritance, and so forth. Additionally, these emails are used to distribute malware.
Due to how widespread spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to proliferate malware. 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 on.
Once a virulent file is opened – the malware download/installation process is triggered. Some formats need extra actions to jumpstart system infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is essential to treat incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.
However, malware is spread using various methods. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and dangerous content.
Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates may contain malware.
It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have 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 "Email Password Must Renew Soon" spam email letter:
Subject: WebMail Account ****** will expire soon
********
Email Password Must Renew Soon
The password for your email ******** is close to expiring. If it expires, access to your email account or reading emails will require the systems administrator to extend your password expiry date. To readily protect your email password, please click below to authenticate your email account.
KEEP MY PASSWORD
Message from the email service's server at yandex.com
Your reply is not needed for this automated notice
Appearance of the "Email Password Must Renew Soon" spam email promoting a phishing website (GIF):
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Quick menu:
- What is "Email Password Must Renew Soon" 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 information that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in mass-scale campaigns with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for the scams.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact relevant authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Reading an email carries no infection threat; systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether the device was infected might depend on the opened file's format. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. While some other formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) – may need additional actions to jumpstart malware download/installation, such as enabling macros, clicking embedded content, and so forth.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that running a complete system scan is paramount since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.
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