How to identify fake "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" emails

What kind of email is "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server"?

After inspecting this "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" email, we determined that it is fake. This phishing message urges the recipient to verify their email account to prevent its deletion. The goal is to deceive users into revealing their email account log-in credentials. It must be emphasized that this email is not associated with the actual cPanel.

"Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Immediate Attention: Please Validate Your Email Address" (may vary) informs that due to changes to the cPanel Webmail Server, some dormant accounts will be deleted. The recipient is urged to verify the validity of their account to keep it active and avoid deletion.

It must be reiterated that the claims made by this message are false, and this email is not associated with cPanel. The phishing website promoted by this campaign impersonates the recipient's email account sign-in page (screenshot of a Gmail impersonator can be found below). Phishing works by recording user-disclosed data and sending it to scammers.

Hijacked emails can be abused in various ways; cyber criminals may even attempt to access linked accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., social media, social networking, messengers, entertainment, e-commerce, money transferring, online banking, etc.).

Scammers can steal the account owner's identity and ask for loans or donations from contacts/friends/followers, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files. Stolen finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have already provided your log-in credentials to a phishing site/file – change the passwords of all potentially compromised accounts and contact their official support without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

"Suspicious Activity Detected", "Invoice Payment Confirmation", and "Gov.uk - Sponsor Licence Compliance Obligations" are merely a few of our newest articles on phishing emails.

It must be mentioned that various scams are promoted through spam mail, and it is used to proliferate all kinds of malware. While the widely held belief that these emails are poorly written and full of spelling/grammatical mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. This mail can be competently put together and convincingly disguised as messages from genuine service providers, companies, institutions, authorities, and other entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is commonly distributed via spam campaigns. To expand upon this, these emails/messages include infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

The infection chain is initiated once such a file is opened. However, some formats need additional user interaction to jumpstart malware download/installation processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise exercising caution with incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links present in suspicious communications must not be opened, as they can be deceptive or malicious.

However, malware is not proliferated only through spam campaigns. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing, as fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. All programs must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters can contain malware.

It is paramount for device/user safety to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security software must be used to run 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 "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" spam email letter:

Subject: Immediate Attention: Please Validate Your Email Address

Update Notice for ********

Due to recent changes in the cPanel Webmail Server some dormant account will be permanetly deleted.

In order to keep your email active on the ******** server we strongly recommend that you verify you are not a rebot.

Verify i am not a robot

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify support@webmail.com

Screenshot of the phishing website promoted by the "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" spam campaign:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Changes In The cPanel Webmail Server" 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 information that they may include, spam emails are not personal. Cyber criminals send these messages out in large-scale operations – hence, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.

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 exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if you have provided other private information (e.g., passport scans/photos, 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?

Reading an email does not pose an infection threat. Devices are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

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

File formats may influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables cause infections almost without fail. However, some formats – such as documents (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.) – might need additional interaction (e.g., clicking embedded content, enabling macros, etc.) to initiate malware infiltration processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing nearly all known malware infections. Keep in mind that running a complete system scan is essential since sophisticated malicious software usually hides deep within systems.