Do not trust fake "Upgrade Zimbra Account" emails

What kind of email is "Upgrade Zimbra Account"?

Our inspection of the "Upgrade Zimbra Account" email revealed that it is spam. The fake letter urges the recipient to update their Zimbra email account so as to prevent it from being shut down. This spam email promotes a phishing website disguised as the Zimbra sign-in page.

"Upgrade Zimbra Account" email scam overview

The email with the subject "MAILBOX CLOSED SOON" (ma vary) informs the recipient that their Zimbra email will be shut down and all its data deleted – unless the account is updated. The recipient is urged to upgrade the account by clicking the "CLICK HERE TO UPDATE" link.

As previously mentioned, this email is fake, as are all its claims. Hence, when we pressed the link – it resulted in a redirect to a phishing site. It was disguised as the Zimbra email account sign-in webpage. The log-in credentials (i.e., email and corresponding password) entered into this website will be disclosed to the scammers behind this spam campaign.

It must be mentioned that cyber criminals can cause more damage by stealing an email account since they may be capable of hijacking the content registered through it.

To elaborate, scammers can steal the identities of communication account owners (e.g., email, social networking/media, messenger, forum, etc.) and use them to ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans, promote scams, or distribute malware by sharing malicious files/links. While finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, e-commerce, money transferring, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Upgrade Zimbra Account" – users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have entered your log-in credentials into a phishing website – immediately change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and contact their official support.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Upgrade Zimbra Account" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's Zimbra account will be shut down unless it is updated.
Disguise	Zimbra
Related Domains	greenmarine[.]fr
Detection Names (greenmarine[.]fr)	CyRadar (Malicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (greenmarine[.]fr)	46.105.57.169
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

We have analyzed thousands of spam emails; "New Security Features", "Investment Into Building Homes For Orphans", "Attached Payment Invoice", and "Confirm Ownership" are merely some examples of phishing letters.

This mail can target a variety of information, ranging from log-in credentials to personally identifiable details. In addition to facilitating various scams, spam emails are used to spread trojans, ransomware, and other malware.

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

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails can have infectious files attached to or linked inside them. These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), PDF and Microsoft Office documents, JavaScript, and so forth.

When such a file is executed, run, or otherwise opened – the infection chain (i.e., malware download/installation) is jumpstarted. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise being careful with incoming emails and messages. The attachments and links found in suspect mail must not be opened, as they can be malicious and cause infections. It is crucial to use post-2010 Microsoft Office versions since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.

However, it is pertinent to mention that malware is not proliferated exclusively via spam mail. Therefore, we recommend downloading only from official/verified sources.

Furthermore, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and fake updates can contain malware.

Another recommendation is to exercise caution when browsing since fraudulent and malicious content usually appears ordinary and harmless.

We must stress that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept updated is essential to device and user safety. Security software must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected 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 "Upgrade Zimbra Account" spam email letter:

Subject: MAILBOX CLOSED SOON

Dear Mailbox User
Confirm your Account to Upgrade  Your Zimbra.
Kindly click on the below to Update Your account.

CLICK HERE TO UPDATE

However,if you do not update your mailbox now,You will be
shut down shortly and all your email data will be lost permanently.
Regards.
Email Administrator

This message is auto generated from the email security server ,and replies sent to this email can not be delivered .
This email is meant for zimbra

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Upgrade Zimbra Account" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Upgrade Zimbra Account" 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. This mail is distributed in large-scale operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical letters.

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

If you have disclosed your account credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if you've provided other private data (e.g., ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

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

No, merely opening/reading an email will not initiate any system infection processes. Malware download/installation is triggered when malicious attachments or links are opened.

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

If the opened file was an executable – most likely, yes – your device was infected. While document formats may need additional user interaction (e.g., enabling macro commands) – to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and eliminate threats. It is capable of removing nearly all known malware infections. Note that running a full system scan is paramount – since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.

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