How to recognize fake "cPanel Account Status Changed" emails

What kind of email is "cPanel Account Status Changed"?

After inspecting this "cPanel Account Status Changed" email, we determined that it is fake. The spam email states that the recipient's cPanel account must be revalidated to avoid service interruptions. It must be emphasized that this message is not associated with cPanel. The goal of this spam campaign is to lure victims into revealing their private data to phishing sites.

"cPanel Account Status Changed" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "[recipient's_email_address]: Please confirm to continue." (may vary) states that the cPanel account status has changed. The account must be revalidated before the listed date to ensure continued access to the recipient's website and emails.

It must be reiterated that the information in this message is false, and this email is in no way associated with cPanel or its developer – cPanel, L.L.C.

The phishing site endorsed by this campaign was down at the time of research. Keep in mind that this could be fixed in potential future releases, i.e., emails will redirect to a functional webpage. Phishing websites operate by recording provided data and sending it to scammers.

Typically, scam mail of this kind targets email account log-in credentials through fake sign-in pages. Hijacked emails can be abused in various ways; cyber criminals may even attempt to steal linked accounts, platforms, and services (e.g., social networking, social media, messengers, entertainment, cloud storage, file transfer, e-commerce, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

Scammers can steal the account owner's identity and ask for loans or donations from contacts/platforms/services, endorse scams, and spread malware by sharing malicious links or files.

Work accounts are often targeted with the goal of infecting the corporate network with trojans, ransomware, or other malware. What is more, compromised finance-related accounts can be used to make fraudulent transactions or online purchases.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "cPanel Account Status Changed" – users can experience system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials to a phishing site (or file) – immediately change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and contact their official support.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have investigated countless spam campaigns; "Email Security Reminder", "Fedex - Incoming Package Notification", "Fund Transfer Intercepted", and "JP Morgan Chase Fund Release" are merely a few of our latest articles on phishing emails.

These messages primarily target log-in credentials (of various accounts), personally identifiable information, and finance-related data. However, spam mail is used to promote a wide variety of scams and to proliferate all kinds of malware.

Due to how prevalent this mail is and how well-made it may be – we highly recommend exercising caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing infectious files as attachments or download links. These files can be documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), executables (.exe, .run, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Once such a file is opened – the infection chain is initiated. However, certain formats require additional user interaction to begin downloading/installing malware. For example, Microsoft Office files need users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents require them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Incoming emails and other communications must be approached with caution. Attachments or links present in suspicious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or proliferate malware.

However, malicious software is distributed using various techniques. Therefore, we advised vigilance when browsing, as the Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content.

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

It is paramount to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept up-to-date. Security software must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove active and potential 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 "cPanel Account Status Changed" spam email letter:

Subject: [********]: Please confirm to continue.

Hosting Control Panel

cPanel Account Status Changed

We are reaching out to inform you that your cPanel account requires revalidation before Jan 17, 2026 to ensure continued access to your website and mails.

Verify Account

You have received this email because you are a registered cPanel user, to ensure the implementation of our Service and for other legitimate matters.

Privacy Policy

© 2005–2026 cPanel, L.L.C.

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Quick menu:

• What is "cPanel Account Status Changed" 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, even if they include information of such nature. Thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) spam messages, as they are distributed in massive operations.

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

If you have disclosed your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have provided other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport photos/scans, credit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities.

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

Merely reading an email is harmless; systems 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?

Whether the system was infected might depend on the format of the opened file. Executables cause infections almost without fail (upon being opened). However, some formats require additional actions (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, 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. It must be stressed that performing a complete system scan is essential since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.