Do not trust fake "Someone Used Your Webmail Password" emails

What kind of email is "Someone Used Your Webmail Password"?

After inspecting the "Someone Used Your Webmail Password" email, we determined that it is spam. This mail is promoting a phishing scam that targets email log-in credentials by claiming that an unrecognized sign-in attempt was blocked.

"Someone Used Your Webmail Password" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Mailbox Unusual Sign-in Notification" (may vary) states that someone used the recipient's Webmail password. Supposedly, an attempt to sign in from a new device and location was blocked. The recipient is requested to verify their email password to secure the account.

It must be emphasized that the claim made by this message is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers.

The "Verify password" button in this email redirects to a phishing site. It is disguised as an email sign-in page and is adorned with the old logo of the Zoho Office Suite. Log-in credentials entered into this page are revealed to scammers, thus enabling them to steal the exposed account.

Cyber criminals commonly target emails, as they tend to include incredibly sensitive information and may serve as a gateway for stealing the accounts, platforms, and services registered through them.

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

Hijacked finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, digital wallets, e-commerce, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.

To summarize, victims of scam mail like "Someone Used Your Webmail Password" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already entered your log-in credentials into a phishing website – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Someone Used Your Webmail Password" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	An unauthorized sign-in to the recipient's account was blocked, and they must verify their password.
Related Domains	profile.moderation[.]best
Detection Names (profile.moderation[.]best)	Fortinet (Spam), Sophost (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (profile.moderation[.]best)	104.21.38.235
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

"Mailbox Abuse Notice", "Smartcolor Password Expiry", and "Email Resource Alert Triggered" are just a few of our latest articles on phishing campaigns.

Aside from log-in credentials, these emails commonly target personally identifiable details and finance-related information. However, various scams are promoted through spam mail, including sextortion, tech support, refund, lottery, and so forth.

Due to how widespread this 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?

Malware is often proliferated via spam campaigns. Deceptive emails/messages can include virulent 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 forth.

When a malicious file is opened – the infection chain is triggered. Some formats need extra actions to initiate infection processes. 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 care. We advise against opening attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or malicious.

It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed only through spam mail. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content typically appears legitimate and harmless.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters may contain malware.

It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove 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 "Someone Used Your Webmail Password" spam email letter:

Subject: Mailbox Unusual Sign-in Notification

Someone used your Webmail password
********

Webmail blocked an unauthorized sign-in attempt, you recently logged your password from a new device and location. Kindly Verify your password now.

Verify password

You can also see security activity at
hxxps://myaccount.********/notifications

You received this email to let you know about important changes to your ******** Account and services.
© 2024 Webmail LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Someone Used Your Webmail Password" 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 "Someone Used Your Webmail Password" 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 send out these messages in large-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical mail.

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

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

Systems are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked; merely reading an email poses no infection threat.

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

Whether your device was compromised might depend on the opened file's format. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may need additional interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate malware download/installation.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a full system scan is crucial since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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