Avoid having your email account stolen via fake "Unknown Browser Login" email

What kind of email is "Unknown Browser Login"?

Our inspection of the "Unknown Browser Login" email revealed that it is spam operating as a phishing scam. It is presented as an email account security notification alerting the recipient that there has been a suspicious log-in. This spam mail aims to extract users' email account passwords through a fake sign-in page.

"Unknown Browser Login" email scam overview

The spam letter with the subject "[recipient's_email_address]: Unknown Login Notification" (may vary) informs the recipient of a suspicious log-in. This fabricated activity is stated to be a device located in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which was used to sign in to said mail account.

The recipient is advised to remove this device if they do not recognize it. After we clicked the "Remove Device" button, we were redirected to a phishing website that mimics the recipient's email sign-in page. Despite the promoted site's potentially legitimate appearance, it is fake and designed to record the passwords entered into it.

In addition to stealing the exposed emails, scammers may gain access to the content registered through them. Hence, the hijacked platforms, services, and other content can be variously misused. For example, finance-related accounts can be used to make unauthorized transactions and/or online purchases.

Cyber criminals can also assume the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messengers, forums, etc.) and ask their contacts/friends for loans, promote scams, or proliferate malware by sharing malicious files/links.

In summary, by trusting a phishing email – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Unknown Browser Login" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's email account has been logged into from an unknown device.
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

"United Nations - Abandoned Shipment", "Mega Millions International Lottery", "Crypto Payment Notification", "Standard Bank email scam" – are merely some examples of phishing emails that we have inspected recently. These letters can target a broad range of information and use various disguises to obtain it.

Spam emails can be presented as messages from existing companies, organizations, service providers, institutions, authorities, and other entities. In addition to facilitating various scams, these letters are used to distribute malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).

Due to how widespread spam mail is, we strongly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware through virulent files, which can be attached to or linked inside the emails. These files can be Microsoft Office and PDF documents, executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on. Said files infect devices when they are executed, run, or otherwise opened. For example, Microsoft Office documents begin downloading/installing malware by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We highly recommend being vigilant with incoming emails and other messages. The attachments and links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious. It is essential to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

However, malware is not spread exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we advise downloading only from official and trustworthy sources. Additionally, software must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

Another recommendation is to be careful when browsing since fake and harmful online content usually appears ordinary and innocuous.

We must stress 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 "Unknown Browser Login" spam email letter:

Subject: -: Unknown Login Notification

Unknown Browser Login
-

Hello - user,

We noticed a device added to your email account and was logged in from Client IP : 1.238.199.153  ,  Korea (Republic of) [KR] on an Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max device on 20/12/2022 7:25:43 a.m. UTC.

Remove Device

If you do not recognise this device, click Remove device, follow steps to logout  - from an unknown device.

After successful device logout, you will receive confirmation email automatically.

Repeat process if no email confirmation is received.
You can also activate all security notifications at
hxxps://myaccount.-/notifications
If no action is taken, we will suspend your email temporarily to secure your account.
You received this email to let you know about changes to your - Account and services.
© 2022 All Rights Reserved

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Unknown Browser Login" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Unknown Browser Login" 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 send this mail in large-scale operations – therefore, thousands of users receive identical messages.

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

If you have provided your account credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. And if you've disclosed other private information (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, opening an email will not trigger any malware download/installation processes. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links opened/clicked.

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

If the open file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – your device was most likely infected. However, document formats (.doc, .xls, etc.) may require additional actions (e.g., enabling macro commands) – to start downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating most of the known malware infections. It must be mentioned that since high-end malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – performing a complete system scan is essential.

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