Avoid losing your account via fake "Restore Email DNS" emails

What kind of email is "Restore Email DNS"?

After examining "Restore Email DNS", we determined that it is spam. This letter informs that unusual errors have occurred on the recipient's email account, which have interrupted standard service. To fix these bogus issues, the recipient is led to a phishing site that targets email log-in credentials.

"Restore Email DNS" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Mailbox Authentication Required To Avoid Termination [recipient's_email_address] !!" (may vary) informs the recipient of their account experiencing techniques errors, which are preventing the delivery of outgoing messages. The letter encourages the user to click "Take steps to restore DNS" to eliminate the issues.

It must be stressed that the information provided by the email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate service providers. The button in the "Restore Email DNS" letter redirects to a phishing website presented as an email account sign-in page. Information (i.e., log-in credentials) entered into the site are recorded and sent to scammers.

In addition to stealing the exposed emails, cyber criminals may be able to gain access to the accounts/platforms registered through them.

To expand upon the potential misuse, scammers can steal the identities of account owners (e.g., emails, social networking/media, messages, chats, etc.) and ask the contacts/friends/followers for loans or donations, promote scams, and spread malware by sending malicious files/links.

Any sensitive/confidential content discovered on compromised accounts (e.g., socially oriented platforms, data storage, file transfer, etc.) can be used for blackmail or other nefarious purposes.

Furthermore, stolen finance-related accounts (e.g., e-commerce, money transferring, cryptowallets, online banking, etc.) can be used to facilitate fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

In summary, victims of scam mail like "Restore Email DNS" can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

If you have already disclosed your account credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Restore Email DNS" phishing email
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	Recipient's email account is experiencing errors that are interfering with the mail service.
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

"Email Is Due For Renewal", "WeTransfer - You Have Received Files", and "SharePoint Invoice" are merely a couple examples of phishing campaigns we have written about recently. These emails predominantly seek log-in credentials of various accounts, personally identifiable details, and finance-related information.

However, other types of scams are also promoted via spam mail. The emails are utilized in malware distribution as well. Spam letters can be basic and full of mistakes or competently crafted and even believably disguised as messages from genuine entities (e.g., service providers, companies, organizations, authorities, etc.).

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cyber criminals commonly use spam campaigns to proliferate malware. Deceptive emails/messages can include malicious files as attachments or download links. These files can be archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once opened, an infectious file initiates the malware download/installation process. Some formats may need extra user interaction to jumpstart system infection chains. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages must be treated with caution. We advise against opening attachments or links found in suspicious/irrelevant mail, as they can be harmful/virulent. It must be mentioned that malware is distributed using various techniques.

Therefore, we recommend vigilance while browsing since fake and malicious online content usually appears legitimate and innocuous. Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources.

Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by genuine developers, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updaters can contain malware.

It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. This software 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 "Restore Email DNS" spam email letter:

Subject: Mailbox Authentication Required To Avoid Termination ******** !!

Dear ******** !

Your email: ******** are experiencing some unusual technical errors and are unable to deliver outgoing mail.
Follow the steps below to clear your inbox's DNS cache and receive your emails.

Take steps to restore DNS

Thank you

© ******** Mailbox team 2024.

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Restore Email DNS" spam campaign:

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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 "Restore Email DNS" 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?

Regardless of any relevant details that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals distribute this mail in massive operations with the hopes that at least some recipients will fall for their scams.

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

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and inform their official support. And if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, 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?

Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked; merely reading an email is harmless.

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

Whether the system was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. If it was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the device was compromised. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). Some formats may require additional actions to jumpstart malware download/installation processes (e.g., enabling macro commands, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating practically all known malware infections. It must be stressed that running a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.

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