Do not trust fake "Password Reset Has Been Requested" emails

What kind of email is "Password Reset Has Been Requested"?

After inspecting this "Password Reset Has Been Requested" email, we determined that it is spam. It promotes a phishing scam that targets email passwords. Recipients are lured into revealing their account log-in credentials through false claims concerning a password reset request.

"Password Reset Has Been Requested" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Password Reset CRM:0318645" (may vary) states that a request to resent the account password has been received. If the recipient believes that they have received this message in error, they are instructed to contact support. The email also provides an option to cancel the reset request.

It must be emphasized that the claims made by this email are false, and this mail is not associated with any genuine service providers.

The phishing site promoted by this spam letter imitates the recipient's email account sign-in webpage. Log-in credentials entered into this website are recorded and sent to scammers. The risks for victims of this scam exceed the loss of an email, as cyber criminals might also be able to gain access to the accounts/services/platforms registered through it.

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

What is more, 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, by trusting an email like "Password Reset Has Been Requested" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Password Reset Has Been Requested" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Request to reset the email account password has been received.
Related Domains	bumiborneoabadi[.]com
Detection Names (bumiborneoabadi[.]com)	CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), Abusix (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. ▼ 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

"Failed Login Attempt", "Account Services Have Been Marked For Suspension", "Salary Bonus", "Important Document Notification", and "Some-one Try To Login Into Your Mailbox Address" are just some of our latest articles on phishing emails.

However, various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used to proliferate malware. While the widely held belief that these emails are poorly written and riddled with grammatical/spelling mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently put together and even convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, etc.

Due to how prevalent spam emails are and how well-crafted they can be – we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming mail.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is commonly spread through spam campaigns. These emails/messages can include virulent files as attachments or download links. Infectious files can be documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once such a file is opened – the malware download/installation chain is initiated. However, some formats require additional user interaction to trigger infection processes. 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?

Incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages must be approached with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be infectious.

However, malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

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

It is paramount for device integrity and user safety to have a dependable anti-virus installed and kept updated. Security software 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 "Password Reset Has Been Requested" spam email letter:

Subject: Password Reset CRM:0318645

Dear Customer

Username: -

A password reset has been requested for your account.

If you believe you have received this email in error, please contact technical support for assistance.

Reset Password

Please click the following link to cancel the password reset procedure.

Do not reply to this message. This email address is not monitored and we are therefore unable to reply to messages sent to this address.

Kind regards,

The Customer Service Team

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Password Reset Has Been Requested" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Password Reset Has Been Requested" 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. These messages are sent out in large-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) messages.

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 potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport scans, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – contact the corresponding authorities without delay.

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

No, reading an email or not in any system infection processes. Devices are compromised 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. If it was an executable – most likely, yes. However, you might have avoided the infection if it was a document. These formats may need extra interaction to initiate malware download/installation (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded files/links, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware infections. Note that running a full system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.

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