I know your password. Sextortion is back with more power

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"I know you are a such-and-such person. I know your password. To avoid jail time, send me $2000 in Bitcoin." If you receive such an email, what'll be your reaction? Sextortion is dorsum in a new format!

Online sextortion has a new format. Before, you'd just become a threat saying that the hacker has compromised your reckoner and has a sex clip of you. Many hackers would lay a Phishing bait maxim your social life is in danger considering of a video clip that the hacker has taken via your laptop'south camera. When people called out the bluff, such letters decrease.

Today, cybercriminals utilize a new format to scare people. Such emails now listing your countersign in the subject line of the email and then that you panic and send the hackers some money to their bitcoin accounts.

Sextortion – I know your password

If a sextortion email proverb I know your password comes to your inbox, there is no need to panic. Merely change your passwords on sites y'all use. You might enquire how they got your password. It is simply a gimmick to make y'all pay.

In the last few years, there have been many breaches on secure sites like LinkedIn, Bitly.com, and Dropbox. Some information was accessed, copied by the hackers and posted to websites like Pastebin where anyone tin check them out. The sextortion guys get your password from such a repository and merits that they've hacked your email to procure details of your electronic mail contacts.

To know if your e-mail ID was breached, go toHaveIBeenPwned.com website and bank check there. Apply all e-mail IDs you use or accept created. Most probably, the cybercriminals might exist picking up data from data dumps of social media breaches.

I will post a similar email I received a few days ago.

Yeah. I know you are a blah-blah.

Actually I know way more about you than you think.

I am a computer scientist (internet security specialist) with affiliation with the Bearding group.

Few months agone you downloaded an application. That application had a special lawmaking implanted purposely.

Since the moment you lot installed information technology, your device started to human activity like a Remote Desktop I was able to access anytime.

The program allowed me to access your desktop, your camera(s), your files, passwords and contact lists. I also know where you live and where you work..

I was observing you for quite some time and what I have nerveless here is overwhelming.

I know nearly your $$xual preferences and your interest in young bodies.

I accept secured iv video files clearly showing how you $$$bate (captured from your photographic camera) to young teenagers (captured from your cyberspace browser).

Glued together is a pretty overwhelming bear witness that you lot are a $$$phile.

The timestamps on the video files signal the exact times:

20_1562209548.mp4 (58.v MB)

20_1562011121.mp4 (73.ane MB)

I am not here to judge the morality of your preferences, I am here to make coin. Because I know yous are a wealthy person and that y'all do care well-nigh your reputation, I am willing to give you a chance to atone and I will leave you alone.

You do know what Bitcoin is, right ? You must fund a special address with 5,000 ÙSD in Bitcoin, otherwise, I am going to se?d those video files to your family members, friends and your work buddies.

If yous do not send the bitcoins in ane week, I will also ship those video recordings to your local police part. Your life will be ruined.

Exercise not reply to this email, information technology'south an untraceable one time message.

I volition contact yous. Remember, I am watching y'all.

Things yous can do to avoid condign a sextortion victim

Use strong passwords for all your online accounts.
Don't transport compromising images of yourself to anyone
Turn off your spider web cameras when not in apply.

What to exercise when I get an email saying I know your password?

Don't panic. Information technology is just a faux threat. Cybercriminals depend on fear-mongering to make money. If you want, you lot can see if your electronic mail ID, password, and phone number past visiting "Have I Been Sold" or a similar website. That will give you an indication of where the cybercriminals got your information.
Get directly to the website and change your password to something strong. Yous may employ a password manager similar Lastpass to manage all your passwords.
Written report it to your local law enforcement agency. US residents can call their local FBI office or toll-free at ane-800-Call-FBI.
Forward the email to FTC at [email protected] and Anti-Phishing Working Group at [email protected].

NEVER PAY THE Bribe. Merely change your passwords and written report it to law enforcement agencies in your area, if y'all can. Sextortion is a criminal offense and so these "I know your password" e-mail senders are treated equally criminals.

Arun Kumar is a Microsoft MVP alumnus, obsessed with engineering science, specially the Internet. He deals with the multimedia content needs of training and corporate houses. Follow him on Twitter @PowercutIN