Mail Security Service Alert Email
An email claiming to be sent by your email provider has been caught by MailShark spam filters, tricking receivers into infecting their computer with malware. The email itself appears to be generically branded but the landing page clearly uses Google branding to appear as if it is Gmail. Gmail is a popular free email service provided by Google.
Figure A is a copy of this mail security service alert, email scam attempt. It is generically branded with mostly text and a large blue call-to-action button which links through to a malicious website. The subject reads “Mail Service Alert!!!” and is an attempt to get your attention, enough to open the email. The sender is shown as “Mail Notification” and is in no way associated with an official email service. It is addressed to your email address (in black for security reasons) and instructs you to update your settings immediately – Do not click through, doing so will end in a malware infection.
Figure B is a safely captured screenshot of the website you will land on if any links within the email are clicked. It is branded to look like Gmail and has a simple question which, if answered will start installing the Malware payload and begin infecting your computer. Do not click anywhere on this page and delete the email immediately.
If you get this email or a similar email and are unsure of its intent, contact your email provider directly for further instructions and clarification on the email’s contents. This email is a dangerous attempt to infect your computer with malware in the form of a simple mail security update request.
Steph Kent
MailShark
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