Avoid getting scammed by "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What kind of email is "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email"?
After examining "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email", we determined that it is spam. This fake message states that multiple emails were undelivered, and the account must be refreshed to release them into the inbox. This mail promotes a phishing website targeting email account log-in credentials.
"Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email" email scam overview
The spam email with the subject "Refresh your mailbox today - [recipient's_email_address]" (may vary) informs the victim that seven messages failed to reach the inbox due to a server update. The email must be refreshed using the button in this letter to release the pending messages.
It must be stressed that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.
Pressing the "REFRESH EMAIL" button results in a redirect to the phishing website. This site imitates an email sign-in page marked with the old logo of the Zoho Office Suite. Attempts to sign in through this webpage expose the victim's log-in credentials to scammers.
Hijacked emails can be variously abused; sensitive information can be used for blackmail or to steal the accounts, platforms, and services registered through them.
To expand upon how the unauthorized access can be used, scammers can steal account owners' identities (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and request loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing links or files.
Stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, digital wallets, money transferring, online banking, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, by trusting an email like "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email" – users can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.
If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials to a phishing site – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.
| Name | "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Email must be refreshed to release the pending messages. |
| Related Domains | consideration[.]best |
| Detection Names (consideration[.]best) | Trustwave (Phishing), Webroot (Malicious), Abusix (Spam), CyRadar (Spam), Fortinet (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| 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 numerous spam campaigns; "Avoid Mailbox Interruption", "American Express - Payment On Hold", "You Have Pending UNSYNC Messages", and "Staff Whose Employment Have Been Terminated" are merely some of our latest articles on phishing emails.
Commonly targeted data includes log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information. However, various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used to proliferate malware.
While these emails are often poorly written and riddled with grammatical/spelling mistakes, they can be competently crafted and even convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, institutions, authorities, etc.).
Due to how widespread this mail is and how well-made it can be – we strongly recommend approaching incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages with caution.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware is commonly proliferated via spam campaigns. Deceptive emails/messages can include malicious attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.
The system infection is triggered once such a file is opened. However, some formats require additional actions to jumpstart malware download/installation. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.
How to avoid installation of malware?
It is important to exercise caution with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.
However, malware is not spread exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, be vigilant when browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.
Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy channels. Software must be activated and updated using genuine functions/tools, as illegal product activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.
We must emphasize the importance of having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run 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 "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email" spam email letter:
Subject: Refresh your mailbox today - ********
******** Server Message
View your recent messages 11/8/2024 9:13:51 a.m.
Pending messages waiting to be updated!
Title:Our server has been updated, it is recommended to refresh the email using the button below and receive pending emails.
Total documents: 7 unread
REFRESH EMAIL
Copyright © 2024 . All rights reserved.
Add ******** to your address book to ensure you receive emails.
For more information, visit ********.
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by this spam campaign:
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Quick menu:
- What is "Server Has Been Updated - Refresh Your Email" 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 information relevant to the recipients. This mail is spread through large-scale operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar emails.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, opening/reading an email poses no infection threat. 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?
If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may require additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.
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 is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. It must be mentioned that sophisticated malicious programs typically hide deep within systems – therefore, running a complete system scan is crucial.
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