Do not trust fake "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" emails

What kind of email is "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently"?

Our review of the "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" email revealed that it is spam. The letter warns that to avoid access to the email account getting restricted, the recipient must retain its password.

"Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" email scam overview

The scam email with the subject "Retain [recipient's_email_address] Password!" (may vary) states that the recipient's account password "needs to be retained urgently". Immediate action is encouraged in order to maintain access to the account and prevent it from getting blocked, as well as to continue receiving emails.

It must be stressed that all the claims made by this letter are false, and this mail is in no way associated with any genuine service providers.

At the time of research, the spam email promoted a nonfunctional webpage. It is evident, based on the mail's theme, that it was intended to redirect to a phishing website presented as an email sign-in page. Sites of this kind can be basic or competently mimic recipients' account sign-in webpages.

Phishing scams seek to acquire sensitive information. It is noteworthy that potential future "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" campaigns could successfully redirect to operational phishing websites. Victims of spam mail like "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" can not only lose their emails but also the content registered through them.

To elaborate, scammers can steal the identities of social account owners (e.g., emails, social networking, social media, messengers, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files.

Furthermore, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., online banking, money transferring, e-commerce, digital wallets, etc.) can be used to facilitate unauthorized transactions or online purchases. What is more, should any confidential/compromising content be found on compromised data storage or similar platforms – it could be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" – users may experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Email account password must be retained to avoid service interruptions.
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

"Password Change Request", "IMAP Termination Process", "Server Warning", and "INTERNATIONALE SPANISCHE ONLINE-LOTTERIE" are merely a few examples of phishing emails we have analyzed recently.

Aside from information-targeting scams, spam mail is also used to promote other types, such as tech support, callback, refund, sextortion, lottery, inheritance, etc. Furthermore, deceptive emails are used to proliferate malware.

While commonly riddled with various errors, spam emails can also be elaborately disguised as messages from legitimate service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns are often used to distribute malware. These emails/messages can include infectious files as attachments or download links. Malicious files come in various formats, e.g., documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

Upon opening, such a file triggers the malware download/installation chain. Some formats require additional interaction to initiate system infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office documents need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote files require them to click embedded links/files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is essential to treat incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages with caution. Attachments or links found in suspicious mail must not be opened since they can be virulent. We recommend using Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since their "Protected View" mode prevents automatic macro execution.

It must be mentioned that malware is not distributed exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we also advise being careful while browsing, as fraudulent and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified channels. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates may contain malware.

We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date is crucial to device integrity and user safety. Security software must be used to perform 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 Needs To Be Retained Urgently" spam email letter:

Subject: Retain ******** Password!

Your ******** password needs to be retained urgently. you must take immediate steps to maintain and prevent restricted access to your account ******** and pending incoming emails

Keep the same password Skip And Allow Incoming Mails        

********  Server Virus Free.Copyright (c) 2023. All right reserved.

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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.

Quick menu:

• What is "Password Needs To Be Retained Urgently" 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. They are distributed 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 log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. And if the disclosed information was of a different personal nature (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact the appropriate authorities.

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

No, opening/reading an email will not trigger any system infection processes. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – your device was compromised. However, you might have avoided triggering an infection if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). Formats of this kind may require additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to scan devices and eliminate all manner of threats. It can detect and remove most of the known malware infections. Note that since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems – running a complete system scan is essential.

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