A new kind of online scam uses your own password to trick you.
Many people that have fallen victim to this new ransomware mention that they receive a shady email, in which a “hacker” says that he has the recipient’s password. The tactic is designed to scare people, and as you’d expect, they are accompanied by a demand for ransom money in the form of Bitcoin later on.
Can Duruk, a programmer, reported in a tweet:
So, the password written in the mail was an old one – meaning the scammer has managed to get hands on an old leaked passwords archive. The full email reads,
I’m aware that X is your password.
You don’t know me and you’re thinking why you received this e mail, right?
Well, I actually placed a malware on the porn website and guess what, you visited this web site to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were watching the video, your web browser acted as a RDP (Remote Desktop) and a keylogger which provided me access to your display screen and webcam. Right after that, my software gathered all your contacts from your Messenger, Facebook account, and email account.
What exactly did I do?
I made a split-screen video. First part recorded the video you were viewing (you’ve got a fine taste haha), and next part recorded your webcam (Yep! It’s you doing nasty things!).
What should you do?
Well, I believe, $1400 is a fair price for our little secret. You’ll make the payment via Bitcoin to the below address (if you don’t know this, search “how to buy bitcoin” in Google) .
BTC Address: 1Dvd7Wb72JBTbAcfTrxSJCZZuf4tsT8V72
(It is cAsE sensitive, so copy and paste it)Important:
You have 24 hours in order to make the payment. (I have an unique pixel within this email message, and right now I know that you have read this email). If I don’t get the payment, I will send your video to all of your contacts including relatives, coworkers, and so forth. Nonetheless, if I do get paid, I will erase the video immidiately. If you want evidence, reply with “Yes!” and I will send your video recording to your 5 friends. This is a non-negotiable offer, so don’t waste my time and yours by replying to this email.
Merely A Scam
Seeing your password written in a strange email can be shocking, but rest assured that there’s no way the person could have gotten their hands on your webcam footage this way.
According to a researcher that got in touch with other folks who received similar emails, most of the passwords were “close to ten years old” – so it’s pretty neat seeing that hackers managed to get into corporate accounts and get some old passwords, because this is a fairly new method for online blackmailing.
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Even if you are using the same password, it’s unlikely that the hacker can videotape you just from your webcam – unless of course you do it yourself. In any case, it’s wise to put a tape on your webcam when surfing the web, as well as regularly changing your password.
Most of the time, it’s up to you to protect your online data and keep yourself safe from scams. Surf safe folks.
