How to avoid falling for scams like "Mailbox Security Maintenance"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Mailbox Security Maintenance"?
Our inspection of the email has shown that it is a scam crafted to trick recipients into believing they have received an urgent notification from their email service provider. The scammers behind it seek to steal personal information. Such emails are known as phishing attempts. Recipients should be careful when encountering emails of this type.
More about the "Mailbox Security Maintenance" scam email
This email is disguised as an urgent notice regarding an email account update. It claims that a new version of the mailbox security maintenance has been released and urges the recipient to update their account immediately. It also states that they only have a few hours to switch to the latest version to avoid being logged out of their mailbox and potentially losing important data.
The "VERSION UPDATE" button (link) within this scam email leads to a fake Webmail login page. This site asks visitors to enter their email address and password (email account login credentials). If entered, this information is sent to scammers. When scammers obtain email account login credentials, they can access the victim's email account.
With access to an email account, fraudsters can steal sensitive information, such as personal details, financial data, or passwords to other accounts. They may also use the compromised account to send phishing emails or even malware to the victim's contacts. Additionally, they might be able to reset passwords for linked accounts, including social media, banking, and other online services.
Ultimately, stolen email credentials can lead to identity theft, financial loss, and significant privacy breaches for the victim. Therefore, it is important to be careful with suspicious emails.
| Name | Mailbox Security Maintenance Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | An email account must be updated |
| Disguise | Letter from an email service provider |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Emails of this type typically urge recipients to take immediate action. They are disguised as importnat notifications or other messages from legitimate entities. Scammers behind them aim to extract personal information (e.g., login credentials or credit card details). Threat actors can also use email to distribute malware.
Examples of scam emails are "Capital One - Unrecognized Transaction Claim", "Join Zoom Meeting", and "Account Validation".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Threat actors often exploit emails to trick users into downloading malicious files or clicking on harmful links. These attachments can come in various formats, including executable files, Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, ISO files, scripts, and compressed formats like ZIP and RAR.
When recipients run infected executables, enable macros in compromised Office documents, or perform other actions, they can inadvertently infect their computers. Additionally, the links in these emails may direct users to fraudulent websites aimed at luring them into downloading malware or may trigger automatic malware downloads without their knowledge.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Always download software and files from legitimate sources, such as official pages and app stores, and refrain from using pirated software or cracking tools. Avoid opening files or clicking links in suspicious (e.g., irrelevant or unexpected) emails that come from unknown or senders. Do not visit questionable websites or engage with ads, pop-ups, or buttons on those sites.
Regularly check for updates to your operating system and installed applications. Additionally, ensure you have a trusted security program to help protect your devices. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Mailbox Security Maintenance" email letter:
Subject: Urgent Notice ******** Account Update !!
Valued ********,
We have released a new version of ******** mailbox security maintainance, update below now.
VERSION UPDATE
To update you need to use valid login details. You have a few hours left to switch to the latest version and avoid being logged out of your mailbox and important data loss.
********. All Rights Reserved
Phishing website used in this scam:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Mailbox Security Maintenance 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?
Scammers often send the same email to thousands of recipients, hoping to trick at least a few individuals. These messages are generic and lack personalization.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared personal information, act quickly by changing your passwords for any affected accounts and enabling two-factor authentication if possible. Monitor your financial accounts for any suspicious activity. Additionally, the incident should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
The likelihood of infection depends on the type of file you accessed. For example, if you opened a compromised Word document without enabling macros, you may have prevented the malware from activating. However, if you opened an infected executable file, your system is likely compromised.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
Opening an email itself is harmless. The risk arises when you click on links or open attachments contained in the email, as these actions can result in system infections.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing malware (it can identify nearly all known pieces of malware). Advanced malware may conceal itself deep within the system, making a full system scan essential for effective detection and removal.
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