Remove “Email Password Time Running Out” phishing email

The “Email Password Time Running Out” email is part of a phishing campaign. The email tries to trick users into revealing their email login credentials. It does so by claiming that users’ email passwords are about to expire and that they need to verify their accounts to keep their passwords. The email pushes users to click on a button that would lead them to a phishing site. If users type in their login credentials, they would be sent to the malicious actors behind this phishing campaign.

 

“Email Password Time Running Out” phishing email is a very generic phishing attempt aimed at a large number of users, not specific targets. It’s not a sophisticated attempt, which means users should be able to identify it as malicious.

The email is made to look like it was sent by the recipient’s email service provider. Supposedly, the recipient’s password is about to expire, and once it has, access to the account will be unavailable. However, if users follow the instructions and “verify” their account, they can extend their passwords’ expiration dates.

Below is the full “Email Password Time Running Out” phishing email text:

Subject: Email password reset notification for –

Password Image

Email Password Time Running Out

Your email – password is soon expiring. Following expiration, access to your email account or reading emails will be unavailable until your systems administrator extends your password expiry date. To conveniently protect your email password, use the button below to verify your email account.

Keep My Password

Notification from the email service provider’s hosting server at –
Replies to this automated notice are not monitored

If you click the “Keep my password” button, you’ll be taken to a fake Gmail login page, where you’ll be prompted to enter your email credentials. If you type your password, it will be sent to the cybercriminals behind this phishing scam. The stolen data could be used by the scam operators or sold to other cybercriminals. Whatever the case may be, you could lose access to your email account.

Email accounts are often connected to various other accounts, so if someone gains access to your email, they could potentially access those accounts as well. Additionally, email accounts contain a significant amount of personal information, which is why these login credentials are highly desirable to cybercriminals.

Being cautious with all your login credentials is very important, more so with your email account login credentials. If someone else gains access to your account, it could have severe consequences. Malicious actors could take control of your email, infiltrate your other accounts, and even impersonate you on social media platforms like Facebook, reaching out to your contacts for money under false pretenses.

How to recognize phishing emails

Regular users are often the targets of very basic phishing emails, which are generally easy to identify. More advanced and sophisticated phishing attempts target specific users whose personal information malicious actors have. Nonetheless, most users still encounter these generic phishing emails.

Phishing emails are generally made to look like emails from legitimate organizations. For example, this “Email Password Time Running Out” phishing email is supposed to look like it was sent by Google. However, it does not look even remotely professional, which makes it obvious that it wasn’t sent by Google, even if you were to believe that email account passwords can expire.

When assessing whether an email is legitimate, pay attention to how it addresses you. Legitimate emails usually address you by name, whereas malicious emails will use vague terms like “Customer,” “Member,” or “User.” The “Email Password Time Running Out” email does not address you by name, which is why it’s obviously not sent by Google.

Be on the look out for grammar and spelling mistakes, which are commonly found in phishing emails. Emails from legitimate senders typically don’t have mistakes as they appear very unprofessional. But for whatever reason, malicious emails often have them.

Phishing emails frequently claim that there’s a problem with your account in order to trick you into clicking on dangerous links. To stay on the safe side, avoid clicking any links in emails. If you suspect an issue with your account, access the account manually rather than clicking on any provided links.

Finally, always verify the URL of a website before logging in. Phishing sites may look similar to legitimate ones, but their URLs will differ. Malicious actors may employ tactics to make a URL seem authentic, but by being cautious and thoroughly checking, you can typically spot the differences.

Remove “Email Password Time Running Out” phishing email

If you receive this “Email Password Time Running Out” phishing email, delete it immediately, as it is a phishing attempt. This email is not dangerous as long as you do not interact with it.

However, if you have clicked on the button provided in the email and typed in your login credentials, you need to change your email account password right away. If you are unable to access your email account, contact your email service provider for assistance in recovering it. If you can no longer regain access, make sure to remove that email address from all associated accounts to prevent them from being compromised.