From the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) They alert us that there is a wave of fraudulent emails that use sexual extortion as blackmail to obtain money in exchange for not disseminating the victim's "alleged" sexual content.
Extortion with new messages
Surely more than one Black Mirror fan has come to mind the episode of the third season “Shut up and dance” where a virus infects the computer of its victim and he is faced with a terrible decision: either follow the orders given. They send you an SMS or your most intimate secrets will come to light.
Well, this is not fiction, one of the messages that are circulating and those affected are receiving in emails something similar to the series: «Your system has been hacked. All data from your device was copied to our servers. In addition, we have recorded a video from his camera in which he is watching a porn movie. You do not have to open or reply to this type of email, but, if you have opened it, do not download any attached files or click on any link that appears.
The OSI (Office of Internet User Security), advise reporting extortion if you are one of those affected since a considerable increase has been detected this summer.
“Sextortion” or sexual extortion, consists of threaten to reveal intimate information on a victim unless the victim pays the extortioner. These are usually photos or videos of sexual content and even text messages (sexts).
The alleged images or videos are probably completely false, But there are many users who fall into the trap, making this method increasingly used by cybercriminals to get quick money.
Attacks increase in summer
As we indicated, the OSI has detected a considerable increase in mailing of “sextortion” and encourage anyone affected to report the attack to the Police with all the information they can provide (screenshots, email addresses, etc.)
The objective is, as in any cyber attack, the same, money or information, cybercriminals assure their victims that they have been spying on them with the intention of scaring them into paying the requested amount or clicking on the link that comes in the email, which which will surely be malicious software that will infect the system to steal all possible information, personal data, bank accounts, etc.
Cybercriminals They usually give very little time to make the payment, which is normally requested in bitcoins. What they intend is to “prevent the victim from stopping to think and analyze what is happening.” Therefore, the OSI advises us:
- Do not open emails from strangers.
- If we have opened them, do not give any personal information or respond to the email.
- Never click on the links that accompany the text of the message or download any attached file.
We hope to have reached you sooner than any fraudulent phishing email and raise awareness about how important caution is in these types of cases.
