Frightening email

fran38

Just got an email this morning. From some fella who says he has inserted a RAT (Remote Access Trojan) malware into my laptop and now has access to all of my ahem 'activity'. If i dont pay a certain amount in bitcoin all of thay activity will be shared amongst my contacts. He showed me an old password i used for my email.
How worried should i be ?

ASOT

fran38 wrote: »

Just got an email this morning. From some fella who says he has inserted a RAT (Rote Access Trojan) malware into my laptop and now has access to all of my ahem 'activity'. If i dont pay a certain amount in bitcoin all of thay acyivity will be sharrd amongst my contacts. He showed me an old password i used for my email.
How worried shoild i be ?

It's a scam, don't be worried at all.

the whole year inn

fran38 wrote: »

Just got an email this morning. From some fella who says he has inserted a RAT (Rote Access Trojan) malware into my laptop and now has access to all of my ahem 'activity'. If i dont pay a certain amount in bitcoin all of thay acyivity will be sharrd amongst my contacts. He showed me an old password i used for my email.
How worried shoild i be ?

So you were on porn sites or what? You could just format and reinstall windows and change all passwords.

TomSweeney

Seriously, it is a scam, I get the emails all the time, and it pisses me off to see when I check the bitcoin wallet these pricks actually make money !!!

delete the email.

TomSweeney

fran38 wrote: »

Just got an email this morning. From some fella who says he has inserted a RAT (Remote Access Trojan) malware into my laptop and now has access to all of my ahem 'activity'. If i dont pay a certain amount in bitcoin all of thay activity will be shared amongst my contacts. He showed me an old password i used for my email.
How worried should i be ?

Was the password correct ?

They did the same with me and of course the password was just random bull****...

fran38

ASOT wrote: »

It's a scam, don't be worried at all.

Ok , but how did this fella get hold of an old password?

fran38

TomSweeney wrote: »

Was the password correct ?

They did the same with me and of course the password was just random bull****...

It was correct albeit a couple of years old.

ASOT

fran38 wrote: »

Ok , but how did this fella get hold of an old password?

Your details were probably obtained when a site you used previous was hacked. Pop your email in here and see - https://haveibeenpwned.com

It's a know scam you have nothing to worry about.

Pawwed Rig

fran38 wrote: »

It was correct albeit a couple of years old.

Probably one of the many data breaches from large companies. Wouldn't worry about it if you have changed password since.

Seth Brundle

TomSweeney wrote: »

Was the password correct ?

They did the same with me and of course the password was just random bull****...

They get passwords taken from previous web hacks and use them on the assumption that people use the same password on multiple sites.
It's a complete blackmail scam (but a scam nonetheless) and hopefully the people responsible get stung by a thousand wasps!
They have nothing on the OP but the OP should be more careful about using the same password on different sites and should also get into the habit of changing passwords frequently.

super_furry

Probably some old password dump from a couple of years back. Sign up with haveibeenpwned.com and they'll let you know from where and when they got your password.

fran38

ASOT wrote: »

Your details were probably obtained when a site you used previous was hacked. Pop your email in here and see - https://haveibeenpwned.com

It's a know scam you have nothing to worry about.

Just tried yhat. Eight sites that i use is compromised apparantly.

ASOT

fran38 wrote: »

Just tried yhat. Eight sites that i use is compromised apparantly.

You'v nothing to worry about, I'd also change your passwords on those sites if you haven't already.

TomSweeney

^^ as mentioned OP, just change your passwd on those sites, sorry to repeat myself but DON'T PAY THE F*CKERS MONEY!!!!

the whole year inn

How much were they asking for?

Known scam.

Xterminator

it is a good reminder not to use the same password across different websites.

antix80

I got this ridiculous email recently


Fwd: Important information about your account: [email]



[/email]

---

Forwarded message

---

Hello!

This is important information for you!

Some months ago I hacked your OS and got full access to your account
Xxx
On day of hack your account xxx
has password:

So, you can change the password, yes.. Or already changed... But my
malware intercepts it every time.

How I made it:
In the software of the router, through which you went online, was a
vulnerability. I used it...
If you interested you can read about it: xxx-xxxx-xxxx - a
vulnerability in the web-based management interface of the Cisco
routers.
I just hacked this router and placed my malicious code on it.
When you went online, my trojan was installed on the OS of your device.

After that, I made a full backup of your disk (I have all your address
book, history of viewing sites, all files, phone numbers and addresses
of all your contacts).

A month ago, I wanted to lock your device and ask for a not big amount
of btc to unlock.
But I looked at the sites that you regularly visit, and I was shocked
by what I saw!!!
I'm talk you about sites for adults.

I want to say - you are a BIG pervert. Your fantasy is shifted far
away from the normal course!

And I got an idea....
I made a screenshot of the adult sites where you have fun (do you
understand what it is about, huh?).
After that, I made a screenshot of your joys (using the camera of your
device) and glued them together.
Turned out amazing! You are so spectacular!

I'm know that you would not like to show these screenshots to your
friends, relatives or colleagues.
I think $xxx is a very, very small amount for my silence.
Besides, I have been spying on you for so long, having spent a lot of time!

Pay ONLY in Bitcoins!
My BTC wallet: xxxxxxx

You do not know how to use bitcoins?
Enter a query in any search engine: "how to replenish btc wallet".
It's extremely easy

For this payment I give you two days (48 hours).
As soon as this letter is opened, the timer will work.

After payment, my virus and dirty screenshots with your enjoys will be
self-destruct automatically.
If I do not receive from you the specified amount, then your device
will be locked, and all your contacts will receive a screenshots with
your "enjoys".

I hope you understand your situation.
- Do not try to find and destroy my virus! (All your data, files and
screenshots is already uploaded to a remote server)
- Do not try to contact me (you yourself will see that this is
impossible, the sender address is automatically generated)
- Various security services will not help you; formatting a disk or
destroying a device will not help, since your data is already on a
remote server.

P.S. You are not my single victim. so, I guarantee you that I will not
disturb you again after payment!
This is the word of honor hacker

I also ask you to regularly update your antiviruses in the future.
This way you will no longer fall into a similar situation.

Do not hold evil! I just good do my job.
Good luck.

antix80

Just to note the password in the email i received was blank, he hadn't even filled out an old password.

NSAman

Don’t worry about it, only the likes of Kim Kardashian made money out of a sex tape. I doubt people will be looking at you chocking your chicken... but you never know, you could make some money off it and be a star if the video is funny..:)

Harry Palmr

One of my email accounts (an old almost dormant one at this stage) gets one of these every week or so. Apparently I have a webcam on my coal powered PC and have been remotely recorded jacking off to donkey pron.

ForestFire

Tell them you not sure what these Bitcoins are.....but you have some only Irish penny's you can put in a envelope and post it too them if they would be so kind as to forward there address.

ancapailldorcha

That's a scam. It can look threatening but if they had anything, they'd send you a copy. You're safe.

KerryGoat

Highly likely you are fine. Check have have i been pwned - as another user suggested - and compared the password the "hacker" gave you to the passwords you used for those websites that were hacked.

gozunda

Probably some poor international diplomat that has fallen on hard times and is now forced to ask others for money :pac:

jme2010

I completed a 1 year h.dip in cyber security and it made me paranoid as hell.

One of the modules was around encryption/decryption, brute force etc and this picture was circulated around.

If you can force your IT admins in your workplace to throw out these ridiculous password requirements we'd all be safer.

I use a pass phrase in all my major accounts now, usually 3-4 words each separated by a space, which a lot of people do not know you can have in your password and makes it extremely more difficult to guess.

To make it even easier to remember you could pick a fixed first word that is capitalized (to meet pw requirements)
then add a space, then the second word could be the name of the service you are using so you can remember it easily.
then add another space and this third word could be random nonsensical and not usually a dictionary word but is also easy to remember.

I feel confident that if it was leaked it would not be used anywhere else.

Example not used for Boards.ie could be:

[fixed] . [sevice name] . [wacky word]
Mickey boards floorboards

BorneTobyWilde

Everyone has watched porn on the internet, so what. I don't see why you'd give a dam, as we all know you watch porn, and so does the next guy and so does the next guy.
Boring....

ASOT

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Everyone has watched porn on the internet, so what. I don't see why you'd give a dam, as we all know you watch porn, and so does the next guy and so does the next guy.
Boring....

The scam is they say they have videos of you playing with yourself. Everyone watches porn but I doubt everyone goes around showing videos of themselves **** watching it.

FaganJr

Ask him will he take a book of butter vouchers by registered post??

FanadMan

ASOT wrote: »

The scam is they say they have videos of you playing with yourself. Everyone watches porn but I doubt everyone goes around showing videos of themselves **** watching it.

They could hack my laptop to watch me pulling myself. But the last time I dismantled my laptop, I forgot to reconnect the webcam. And I'm not going to bother taking it apart again to connect something I don't use

Come to think of it, I think I only used the webcam maybe 5 times.