Avoid getting scammed by fake "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" emails

What kind of email is "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)"?

After inspecting this "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" email, we determined that it is spam. This fake message encourages the recipient to improve their account security to avoid service interruptions. The goal is to promote a phishing website that targets email account log-in credentials.

"Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Secure Your Account with 2FA Now" (may vary) urges the recipient to increase their account security by enabling 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication). If this layer of protection is not added, service interruptions (e.g., message delivery) may get disrupted.

It must be stressed that the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers or other entities.

This scam email endorses a phishing website disguised as a sign-in page bearing the Zoho Office Suite logo. Log-in credentials entered into this site are recorded and sent to scammers. Email accounts are commonly targeted because they tend to contain incredibly sensitive information and may open an avenue for stealing the platforms/services registered through them.

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

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

In summary, by trusting an email like "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" – users can experience serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already entered your account credentials into a phishing site/file – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient is requested to enable 2FA to protect the account and avoid service interruptions.
Related Domains	armsandassociates[.]com
Detection Names	CRDF (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	103.110.127.184
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

"Blockchain Rewards", "Server Detected Network Error #404", and "Payroll Report Status" are merely a couple examples of phishing campaigns.

These emails commonly target various log-in credentials (usernames/passwords), personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. However, other scams are promoted through spam mail as well, and it is used to distribute all kinds of malware.

Due to how widespread this mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend approaching incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages with caution.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are often used to proliferate malware. These emails/messages include malicious files as attachments or download links. Infectious files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once a virulent file is opened – the infection chain is jumpstarted. However, some formats require additional user interaction to initiate 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 embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is paramount to exercise caution with incoming emails and other messages. We advise against opening attachments or links present in dubious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful or virulent.

It must be mentioned that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing since the Internet is full of well-disguised fraudulent and dangerous content.

Furthermore, all downloads must be made from official and verified channels. Another recommendation is to activate and update software using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters 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 perform 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 "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" spam email letter:

Subject: Secure Your Account with 2FA Now

******** Account
Secure Your Account Now with 2FA

Please enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of protection to your account ******** . Click below to get started

CLICK HERE

If you ignore above request, Your account is at risk for disconnection on sending/receiving emails.

Thanks,
******** account team

Privacy Statement
******** Corporation, One Way, Redmond, WA 98052

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" spam campaign:

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ 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 "Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)" 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. These messages are distributed in massive 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 – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you've disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

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

Opening/Reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation processes. 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 may depend on the format of the opened file. Once opened, executables (.exe, .run, etc.) cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – like documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, etc.) – might need extra actions. Hence, malware download/installation is only triggered after macro commands are enabled, embedded content is clicked, or other actions are performed.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is designed to scan computers and remove all manner of threats. It can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. Note that high-end malicious software tends to hide deep within systems – therefore, running a full system scan is crucial.

▼ Show Discussion