How to identify scams like "cPanel Account Upgrade Notice"

What kind of email is "cPanel Account Upgrade Notice"?

After inspecting this email, we determined that it is a phishing scam. The message is disguised as an automated security notification from cPanel, falsely claiming the recipient's account requires an urgent upgrade. The scammers behind it aim to steal login credentials through a fraudulent website, and the email should be ignored.

"cPanel Account Upgrade Notice" email scam overview

The email claims the recipient's cPanel account is running on an outdated version and must be upgraded within 24 hours to avoid a temporary suspension. It lists supposed benefits - enhanced security protocols, improved performance, new WordPress toolkit features, and advanced spam filtering - to make the demand appear credible.

An "Upgrade Account Now" button leads to a fraudulent website. Although the site is no longer active, it was designed to either imitate cPanel's login interface or adapt its appearance to mimic the recipient's email service provider based on their email address.

In the latter case, a Gmail user would be shown a fake Gmail login page, a Yahoo user would see a Yahoo-themed page, and so on. Regardless of the interface displayed, anything the victim types - usernames, passwords, or other details - is collected by the scammers.

Stolen cPanel credentials give attackers full control over a web hosting account. They can modify files, redirect site visitors to malicious pages, or install malware on hosted websites. Stolen email credentials enable account takeover, spam distribution, and follow-up phishing attacks against the victim's contacts.

It should be noted that cPanel, LLC has no connection to this scam. The email was created by cybercriminals impersonating the company to trick recipients into giving up their login information.

Similar scam emails in general

In summary, this is a phishing scam disguised as an official cPanel security notice. Its purpose is to steal login credentials through a fake website, and recipients should avoid interacting with it.

Scam emails of this type are sometimes also used to distribute malware. More examples of similar scam emails are Quotation And Technical Details, Dropbox Service Usage Reminder, and Mailbox Service Upgrade.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is commonly distributed through email attachments. These files can take many forms - executables, Office documents, PDFs, JavaScript files, or archives such as ZIP or RAR. When opened, infection may begin immediately or require additional steps, such as enabling malicious macro commands.

Emails may also contain links to malicious websites. Visiting such a page can trigger an automatic malware download or prompt the user to manually run a harmful file. In either case, the malware generally needs some form of user action before it can compromise the system.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Treat unexpected emails with caution, especially those that create urgency or threaten account suspension. Verify any such claim directly through the service provider's official website before taking any action. Be equally careful with links and attachments in messages from unknown senders.

Download software only from official sources such as developer websites and verified app stores. Avoid pirated software, cracks, and key generators, as these are a frequent vehicle for malware. Keep your operating system and all installed applications updated to close known security vulnerabilities.

Use a reputable antivirus program and keep it current. Do not allow unfamiliar websites to send browser notifications. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "cPanel Account Upgrade Notice" email letter:

Subject: ''********'' Please Confirm To Continue.

cPanel Account Upgrade Notice
Action Required Within 24 Hours

Dear Valued Customer,

Our system has detected that your cPanel account is running on an outdated version. To continue receiving security updates and enhanced features, you must upgrade to the latest version.

Benefits of upgrading:

Enhanced security protocols
Improved performance (up to 40% faster)
New WordPress toolkit features
Advanced spam filtering

Deadline: Your account will be temporarily suspended if not upgraded within 24 hours.

[Upgrade Account Now]

This is an automated security notification. Please do not reply to this email.

© 2026 cPanel Hosting Solutions | All rights reserved

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Quick menu:

• What is cPanel Account Upgrade Notice phishing scam?
• 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?

These emails are not personally targeted. Scammers send them in bulk to large lists of addresses gathered through data breaches, fake websites, and similar methods. Any user whose address was exposed at some point could receive one.

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

Change the passwords for any accounts that may have been compromised immediately. If you also disclosed banking details or other sensitive personal information, contact the relevant financial institutions or authorities as soon as possible.

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

Executable files typically begin the infection process the moment they are opened. Document-type files such as PDFs or Word documents generally require additional interaction first - for example, enabling malicious macro commands. Whether your device is infected depends on the file type and how you interacted with it.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Simply reading an email poses no risk. A system becomes compromised only when the user actively interacts with malicious content, such as opening an attachment or clicking a harmful link. If you did not take any such action, your computer is safe.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can detect and remove the vast majority of known malware. Running a complete system scan is important, as some sophisticated threats may conceal themselves deep within the system and require thorough scanning to identify and eliminate.