Avoid losing your email account via spam messages urging you to update your email

What is the "new mail server system 4.0" email scam?

"New mail server system 4.0" refers to a phishing spam campaign. These spam emails urge recipients to update their email accounts, else risk having them deleted. It must be emphasized that these letters are fake and intended to trick recipients into providing their email account log-in credentials (i.e., email addresses and corresponding passwords).

"New mail server system 4.0" email scam in detail

The "new mail server system 4.0" scam letters request recipients to update their email accounts since the provider has upgraded to a new mail server system. Older and inactive email accounts will be deleted; hence, recipients are urged to verify and update theirs.

As mentioned in the introduction, these letters are fake, and they promote a phishing website that is disguised as an email account sign-in page. Users can have their email accounts stolen and experience other issues by attempting to log in through this site.

Emails are particularly targeted by scammers and cyber criminals, as they are typically connected to (i.e., used to register) other accounts, platforms, services, etc. Therefore, through hijacked emails - access/control may be gained over the content associated with them.

To elaborate, communication platforms (e.g., emails, social networking, messengers, etc.) can be used to proliferate malware by sharing malicious files and links. Alternatively, scammers may assume the genuine owner's identity and ask their contacts for loans. Finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and/or online purchases.

In summary, trusting the "new mail server system 4.0" scam emails can result in severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	New mail server system 4.0 Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Scam letters urge recipients to update their emails, else the accounts will be deleted.
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.

Spam campaigns in general

"You have a new message due", "Outlook Email Quota email scam", "Voicemail email scam", "UN Covid-19 stimulus package" - are some examples of phishing spam campaigns.

Deceptive emails are used for various scams. Furthermore, these letters are also employed to distribute malware (e.g., ransomware, trojans, cryptocurrency miners, etc.). Due to how widespread spam mail is, it is strongly recommended to exercise caution with incoming emails and messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can have infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be in various formats, e.g., archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, and so on. When the files are opened - the infection process is jumpstarted.

For example, Microsoft Office documents cause infections by executing malicious macro commands. This process is triggered when a document is opened in Microsoft Office versions released before 2010. "Protected View" mode prevents this in newer versions; instead, users can manually enable macros (i.e., editing/content). It is noteworthy that malicious documents often contain deceptive messages designed to trick users into enabling macros.

How to avoid installation of malware?

To avoid infecting the system through spam mail, it is advised against opening suspicious/irrelevant emails - especially any attachments or links found in them. It is recommended to only use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010.

Aside from spam emails, malware is also spread via dubious download channels (e.g., unofficial and freeware sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.), illegal activation tools ("cracks"), and fake updates. Therefore, it is crucial to always download from official/verified sources and activate/update programs with tools provided by genuine developers.

It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated. This software has to be used to perform regular system scans and to remove threats. 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 "new mail server system 4.0" scam email letter:

Subject: Accounts Update Notification

 

Dear customer,

 

This notification is prompted to have your account updated to our new mail server system 4.0 (with advanced security). We will be closing older versions and inactive accounts from (4/10/2021). Upgrade to improve security and new mail experience. Please confirm your email address (- ) to avoid deactivation of your Email Account.

 

Confirm

 

Accounts will be deleted automatically after (6/10/2021), You can modify the rate of these notifications in the mailbox portal.

 

Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "new mail server system 4.0" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is New Mail Server System 4.0 spam?
• 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; scammers send them by the thousand.

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

If you've provided your email account log-in credentials (i.e., attempted to sign in via the phishing site promoted by the "new mail server system 4.0" spam campaign) - immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts. Additionally, it is recommended to contact the official support of the accounts. If you've disclosed other personal information (e.g., credit card numbers, etc.) to a spam email - contact the relevant authorities without delay.

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

No, opening a spam email will not trigger infection processes. Malware is proliferated through the files attached to these letters, or the website links provided by them.

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

If the file was an executable - then, most likely, yes. However, if it was a document (.doc, .pdf, etc.) - you might have avoided triggering malware download/installation. In some cases, just opening such a document is not enough to jumpstart the infection chain.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most known malware infections. It is essential to mention that running a full system scan is crucial, as high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within the system.

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