• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
1300 887 889

PowerbITs

Making Technology Work For You

  • About
  • Services
    • Managed IT Services
    • Cyber Security
    • Backup
    • Office Relocation
  • Managed IT Services
  • Cyber Security
  • Backup
  • Office Relocation
  • Blog
  • Contact

Your account was hacked!

Posted on October 3, 2018

I’ve had a few people contact me yesterday/today to describe having received an email with this or a similar title. The body of the email goes on to describe the email address of the user and in some cases a password that they use or have used.
It then requests an amount of money be paid into a specified Bitcoin account.
It threatens to release information and images taken with the recipients camera if the amount is not paid.

Typically the password supplied does not match the password for the recipients email account. While is it still possible that the miscreant has hacked your account, it does appear more likely that they are blasting out a massive mail merge with an old password database and they’re hoping to scare a few people into paying.

Still, best to be safe, so the following steps are recommended (in fact they’re recommended best practice anyway):
– make sure your computer as the latest security updates
– if you are running antivirus, make sure it has the latest signature updates and run a full scan
– if you have any website account logins that use the password in the email, change them. Make sure all of the passwords that you use are different for every site you access. The only easy way to do this is to use a password manager such as Lastpass.

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: Email, Security

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

Importance of Backing Up Data

The Importance of Backing Up Data For Small Businesses

Are Managed IT Services Right for your Business?

Build your Business with Smart IT Business Solutions

IT Managed Services: Make an informed decision

What is an IT audit?

Footer

Menu

  • About
  • Services
  • Managed IT Services
  • Cyber Security
  • Backup
  • Office Relocation
  • How It Works
  • Blog
  • Contact

Contact Us

1300 887 889
Suite 102, 7 Merriwa St,
Gordon NSW 2072

How to Keep Your Data Secure

  • Get the seven things you must do to keep your business data secure...

© 2019 PowerbITs | Website by Website Love