Do not trust fake "Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of email is "Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted"?
Our inspection of the "Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted" email revealed that it operates as a phishing scam.
This spam letter is presented as a notification regarding the deletion of the recipient's Microsoft OneDrive account. With these false claims, the email aims to trick users into visiting a phishing site that is disguised as the OneDrive log-in page. The credentials entered into this webpage will be disclosed to the scammers behind this spam campaign.
It must be emphasized that these scam letters are in no way associated with the Microsoft Corporation.
"Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted" email scam overview
The spam email states that the recipient's OneDrive business account has not been used in six months and was suspended as a result. Supposedly, the stored files are still available - but will be deleted unless the account is reactivated. The fake notification states that neither personal nor school OneDrive accounts will be affected.
When the "Reactivate your account" button is pressed, it redirects to a phishing website presented as the OneDrive log-in page. Usernames/Passwords entered into phishing webpages are sent to the cyber criminals behind them, which can then be used to gain access/control over the exposed accounts.
Services that are interconnected (e.g., emails used to register other accounts) are of particular interest to scammers, as through such - the criminals may gain control over the associated content. To elaborate on how this unauthorized access can be abused, e.g., scammers can pretend to be a social account's owner (e.g., emails, messengers, social media/networking, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends for loans.
Communication and file-sharing platforms can also be used to distribute malware by promoting/sending malicious files or links. Finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions and online purchases.
To summarize, by trusting letters like "Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted" - users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have entered account credentials into a phishing site, we advise immediately changing the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and informing their official support.
| Name | Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's OneDrive account has been suspended and will be deleted. |
| Disguise | OneDrive |
| 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 inspected thousands of spam emails; "Your Netflix Subscription Suspended Within 2 Days", "Xerox Multifunction Printer", and "Servicio De Administración Tributaria email scam" are just a few of our newest finds in the phishing category.
In addition to various scams, these emails are also employed to spread trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, and other malware. Due to how widespread this mail is, we strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails and messages.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Spam emails can have infectious files attached to and linked inside them. Virulent files can be in various formats, e.g., PDF and Microsoft Office documents, archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth. Once such a file is opened - the infection chain is triggered. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect devices by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We recommend being vigilant with incoming mail. The attachments and links present in suspicious/irrelevant emails and messages - must not be opened as that can lead to a system infection. Additionally, we advise using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic execution of macros.
Malware is not distributed exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we also recommend downloading only from official/verified channels and activating/updating software using functions/tools provided by genuine developers.
It is crucial to have a reputable 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 "Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted" scam email letter:
Subject: Your OneDrive is about to be deleted
Reactivate your account | View in browser
Microsoft webpage OneDrive
Your OneDrive is inactive and will soon be deleted
Your - business account has been unused for 6 months and is currently frozen. Your files are still there, but your OneDrive and all files saved to that account will be deleted on or after July 14, 2022 unless sign in to OneDrive to reactivate it.
Learn more about what it means to be frozen.
Note: This message applies only to your business OneDrive account. This message doesn’t affect any OneDrive Personal or school accounts that you may also have.
Reactivate your account
Office365 on Facebook Office365 on Twitter
This email was sent from an unmonitored mailbox.
You are receiving this email because you have a Microsoft OneDrive account.
Copyright 2022 Microsoft Corporation.
Privacy Statement
Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted" spam campaign:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Your OneDrive Is Inactive And Will Soon Be Deleted 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; cyber criminals distribute them by the thousand.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have provided log-in credentials - change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay. And if you've disclosed other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) - immediately contact relevant authorities.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, merely opening a spam email will not trigger any system infection processes. Malware download/installation is initiated when the attachments or links present in these letters are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) - most likely, yes - your system was infected. However, documents (.doc, .pdf, .xls, etc.) may require additional interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) - to start downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate threats. It can remove nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that sophisticated malicious software typically hides deep within systems - hence, running a complete system scan is paramount.
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