What is "cPanel - Re-validate SSL/TLS" email scam

What kind of email is "cPanel - Re-validate SSL/TLS"?

We have inspected this email and determined it is a phishing message impersonating cPanel. It falsely claims the recipient's mailbox storage quota has reached its limit and urges them to click a link. The email should be deleted without acting on its content.

More about the "cPanel - Re-validate SSL/TLS" scam email

The email presents itself as a system alert from cPanel, combining two fabricated claims: that the recipient's mailbox storage quota is full, and that an SSL/TLS revalidation is required. It warns of potential data loss and instructs the recipient to click a "Resolve Mailbox" button.

Clicking that button leads to a page hosted on the compromised domain gardinen-kother[.]de. The page displays a fake "Re-Authentication Required" dialog, prompting the visitor to enter their email address and password to "continue repair."

Any credentials submitted there are sent directly to the scammers. With a stolen email account, cybercriminals can reset passwords for linked services, intercept private messages, and misuse the inbox to target the victim's contacts with further scams.

cPanel, LLC has no connection to this campaign. The criminals behind it are misusing the cPanel name and branding to appear credible. Legitimate cPanel alerts never instruct users to authenticate through a third-party link.

Similar scam emails in general

In summary, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a cPanel storage alert, designed to capture email login credentials. Recipients are led to a fake authentication page on a compromised website. In some cases, similar scam emails are also used to distribute malware.

The email should be deleted without engaging with any of its links. More examples of similar phishing email scams are Verify Your Email Property Information, Proposal Evaluation Completed, and Two-step Verification Was Enabled.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Cybercriminals frequently distribute malware through email by attaching harmful files to messages. These can include executables, compressed archives, PDF documents, Microsoft Office files, and scripts. Opening them, or enabling macros in the case of Office documents, can trigger a malware installation on the device.

Emails may also carry links to malicious websites. Visiting those sites can result in an automatic malware download, or trick the user into running a harmful file manually. In either case, infection generally requires the user to interact with the malicious content in some way.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with unexpected emails, especially those urging urgent action. Avoid clicking links or opening attachments from senders you do not recognize. If a message appears to be from a legitimate service, go directly to that service's official website rather than using the email's link.

Download software only from official websites and verified stores. Avoid pirated programs, cracks, and key generators, as these are commonly used to distribute malware. Keep your operating system and software up to date to close known security vulnerabilities.

Use a reputable security tool and keep it active. If you have already opened a suspicious attachment, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to detect and remove any threats that may have been installed.

Text presented in the "cPanel - Re-validate SSL/TLS" email letter:

Subject: EMAIL SIZE ALERT: Upgrade Your Mailbox [ ******** ]

Webmail
Action Required: Re-validate SSL/TLS for ********
Mail storage quota for ******** has reached its limit.

System Daemon Alert: To increase the storage quota, a manual reset is required via the cPanel Secure Gateway to prevent data loss.
[Resolve Mailbox]

Or ask your system administrator for automated storage.
Stripe Secure Gateway · cPanel compliant

Please do not reply to this automated message.
© 2026 cPanel, Inc. All rights reserved.

A fake email login page used in this scam:

Instant automatic malware removal:

Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:

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.

Quick menu:

• What is cPanel - Re-validate SSL/TLS 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 sent to large numbers of people simultaneously and are not targeted at specific individuals. Scammers gather email addresses through data breaches, fake registration forms, and similar methods.

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

Change the password for your email account right away, along with any other accounts where the same credentials were used. It is also worth enabling two-factor authentication on accounts that support it.

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

It depends on the file type. Executable files (.exe, etc.) typically install malware immediately when opened. Document formats such as PDFs or Word files usually require additional interaction, such as enabling macros, before malware can activate.

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

No. Simply reading or viewing an email is harmless. An infection requires actively interacting with malicious content, such as opening a file or following a malicious link.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner is designed to detect and remove malware. A full system scan is recommended to maximize detection coverage, including threats that may be attempting to hide within the system.