Avoid having your account stolen via fake "cPanel - Server Glitch" emails

What kind of email is "cPanel - Server Glitch"?

Our inspection of the "cPanel - Server Glitch" email revealed that it is spam. This message falsely claims that emails failed delivery due to a server glitch. The purpose of this spam mail is to lure visitors into providing their log-in credentials to a phishing website.

It must be emphasized that the claims in this scam email are false, and this mail is not associated with cPanel or any other legitimate services and providers.

"cPanel - Server Glitch" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Email suspension at server database" (may vary) is presented as a notification from cPanel. The letter states that multiple messages failed to reach the recipient's inbox due to a server error.

It has to be reiterated that the information in this email is false, and this mail is in no way associated with any genuine services or providers.

At the time of research, the "RECEIVE MAILS" button in this message redirected to a website that was down. Based on our extensive experience researching spam campaigns, we can infer that the promoted page was a phishing site, likely one disguised as a sign-in page.

It must be mentioned that this issue could be fixed in potential future releases of the "cPanel - Server Glitch" campaign (i.e., these emails will redirect to operational websites).

Spam mail of this kind predominantly targets email account passwords. Emails typically contain highly sensitive information, which is particularly true for work accounts. Vulnerable data can be used for a wide variety of nefarious purposes, including sale to interest parties and blackmail.

By hijacking a work email account, cyber criminals might get the opportunity to infect the corporate network with trojans, ransomware, and other malware. Additionally, the accounts, platforms, and services registered through a stolen email might be stolen.

To expand upon how the unauthorized access may be abused, criminals can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

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

To summarize, victims of scam emails like "cPanel - Server Glitch" can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have entered 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	"cPanel - Server Glitch" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Emails failed to reach the inbox due to a server glitch.
Disguise	cPanel
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

"Accounting Has Shared Access", "Restore IMAP/POP3", and "Exceeding Your Free Data Volume" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing campaigns. They most commonly target log-in credentials, personally identifiable information, and finance-related data.

However, various scams are facilitated through spam mail, and it is used to distribute malware. These emails are often poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical errors, but they can be competently made and even believably disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing malicious files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once a virulent file is opened – the infection chain is initiated. However, some formats require additional user interaction to start downloading/installing malware. 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?

It is essential to approach incoming emails and other messages with caution. Attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious.

It must be mentioned that malware is spread using various techniques. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of well-disguised fraudulent and dangerous content.

Additionally, all downloads must be made from official and verified sources. We advise activating and updating programs using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

It is essential to device integrity and user safety to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats and 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 "cPanel - Server Glitch" spam email letter:

Subject: Email suspension at server database

cPanel

Hello ********

Some of your incoming mails have been suspended in the email server database.
This was caused by a server glitch. Proceed below to receive your pending mail on
this account.

RECEIVE MAILS

Copyright ******** All rights reserved.

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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 "cPanel - Server Glitch" 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, even if they include details relevant to the recipients. Cyber criminals distribute these messages 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 disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you've provided other private information (e.g., passport photos/scans, ID card details, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

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

Reading an email is harmless; devices 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 system was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail once opened. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .one, .pdf, etc.) – might need extra actions to initiate malware download/installation. Hence, the infection is only triggered after macros are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove all kinds of threats. It can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. It must be emphasized that running a complete system scan is crucial since high-end malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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