Recovery Articles
Phishing scam known as ‘sextortion’ is using people’s real passwords to blackmail them for supposedly watching porn
Originally posted to https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/phishing-scam-known-sextortion-using-12928730
By Jeff ParsonsTech/Science Reporter
- 12:39, 20 JUL 2018
- UPDATED19:41, 20 JUL 2018
Phishing scams are something every internet user has to be aware of.
It’s when a hacker attempts to get access to sensitive or financial information by disguising itself as either a trustworthy source or exploiting other personal data.
A current scam doing the rounds attempts to blackmail unsuspecting victims by claiming to already have their password and to have used it to install spying malware on their computer.
The unscrupulous scammers then claim they have recorded footage of the victim watching porn by activating their webcam when they visit these sites.
Security professionals have rounded on the scam and have highlighted the kind of message that people may expect to see landing in their inbox.
One such example, which was shared on Twitter by programmer Can Duruk , reads:
I’m aware that XXXXXXX 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
Where this particular scam gets a bit scary is that often the password quoted at the top of the email can be a legitimate password that the victim has used in the past.
Given the number of data breaches that have occurred in recent years (Yahoo, Under Armour, Uber and Dixons Carphone to name a few) it’s highly likely cyber criminals can obtain older passwords and match them with identifiers such as email addresses.
They can then try their luck with a phishing blackmail scam that might worry anyone who happened to have visited a porn site.
Security journalist Brian Krebs highlighted the scam on his own blog, writing that it is “likely that this improved sextortion attempt is at least semi-automated: My guess is that the perpetrator has created some kind of script that draws directly from the usernames and passwords from a given data breach at a popular Web site that happened more than a decade ago, and that every victim who had their password compromised as part of that breach is getting this same email at the address used to sign up at that hacked Web site.
“I suspect that as this scam gets refined even more, perpetrators will begin using more recent and relevant passwords — and perhaps other personal data that can be found online — to convince people that the hacking threat is real.”
It’s hard to imagine quite how effective this scam could be, given the vast amounts of people that use the internet for adult entertainment.
Imagine you’ve used your computer to view such content and then you get an email. The sender claims to have hacked your computer and filmed you while you watched whatever it is.
It doesn’t matter that the pornography you’ve been viewing is completely legal, the threat to email a video of you, ahem, enjoying it to your friends and family is enough to make a hell of lot of people pay up.
So, how do you stay safe if threatened by something like this?
Don’t pay the ransom
If you receive an email like this, it’s best to ignore it. And most people will, but that doesn’t mean the scammers aren’t making a lot of money out of the sizable minority who panic and pay.
Lee Munson, security researcher for Comparitech.com, explains: “The success rate for any scam email campaign is extremely low as the vast majority of such messages get nuked by anti-spam filters and security software, yet it remains a huge problem as the cost of entry is so very low.
“Beyond believability and a false sense of urgency, the next greatest trick is to instil a sense of dread and panic, which is a massive motivating force.
“Of course, the obvious answer is for people to completely disregard such messages or report them to ActionFraud or the police but many won’t due to the nature of the content.”
Tim Ayling, director of fraud and risk intelligence at RSA Security, urges people receiving this kind of threat to stay calm and look for signs it’s not real.
“Don’t panic,” he said. “Mass-phishing emails like this are often poorly put together, and there will often be clear indicators that the email isn’t aimed at you, whether it’s badly written English, unusual formatting, or an email address that doesn’t match the address book contact, the devil really is in the detail.
“More generally, unless you know for a fact it can be trusted, avoid clicking on any links or attachments in emails; otherwise you could unwittingly install malware or ransomware on your machine.
“In this case, it was just a scare tactic in order to get a ransom, but the email could just as easily have been loaded with something nasty, which would be a much bigger problem.”
He also recommends reporting this kind of phishing attack to ActionFraud, as this will help them monitor the latest scams.
The victims
Action Fraud reports that over 110 victims have reported receiving emails like the one above – adding that having their passwords shown to them is a “nasty twist” on the traditional phishing scam.
One such victim, Chloe Salt, 26 from Derby, called the scam “shocking” and said that although she was pretty savvy when it comes to online threats, this one made her nervous.
“It made me worried that they had got hold of my old password. It was a long time ago when I used it but it made me feel nervous. How had they got that information?” she told Derbyshire Live.
“It was very threatening and obviously aimed at targeting vulnerable people or people who would fall for such a con. It went on to say that if I contacted the police then it would be a waste of time as they had covered their tracks. It’s really scary that they can get an old password but also claim to get access to your webcam.
“The police have told me that it is possible to gain access to webcams so I have been thinking and questioning what they might have filmed. But I’m sure it would have been me just sat there looking at my phone.”
Action Fraud offers advice
The organisation has therefore offered the following advice to anyone who suspects they are being targeted by a sextortion scam:
– Don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision: paying only highlights that you’re vulnerable and that you may be targeted again. The police advise that you do not pay criminals.
– Secure it: Change your password immediately and reset it on any other accounts you’ve used the same one for. Always use a strong and separate password. Whenever possible, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
– Do not email the fraudsters back.
– Always update your anti-virus software and operating systems regularly.
– Cover your webcam when not in use.
Responding to Relapse: Dealing With the Shame
originally posted at: http://www.careleader.org/responding-relapse-dealing-shame/
August 24, 2016 by
im was introduced earlier this week in Responding to Relapse: A Pastor’s Questions. His wife of eight years, Rachael, had been shocked to discover he’d been regularly viewing Internet porn for about two months. In all their years together, he had seemed like an upright Christian man with strong morals. After Jim had started meeting with their pastor, Paul, he’d stopped viewing Internet porn. So, Rachael and Pastor Paul were surprised and dismayed all over again when they learned Jim had gone to an adult bookstore to purchase pornographic material in print, instead!
Suppose, however, that Jim reports incredible shame over his behavior at this point. Suppose Jim’s experience epitomizes the definition of shame suggested by Ed Welch: Shame is “the deep sense that you are unacceptable because of something you did … You feel exposed and humiliated.”1 What kind of hope is there for someone like Jim?
Shame can facilitate or frustrate sinners’ progress
Although relapses into sinful behavior can provoke a sense of shame in people, depending on the mind-set of a person, the impact of the shame can be very different. Notice from the definition above that shame results from a global self-evaluation by a person. Shame is not a limited assessment of specific behaviors; it is a holistic assessment about one’s overall personhood. The totality of its scope makes it difficult to bear—and to change. However, central to dealing with shame is identifying the standard that was used as the basis for evaluation.
Shame might facilitate spiritual growth
Although shame is not pleasant to experience, it can be a prod for spiritual growth. In the Bible, shame can be a sign of a properly functioning conscience. If the conscience is not functioning properly, people can ignore and violate God’s law with little or no remorse. In these cases, feelings of guilt and shame are dulled or diminished. Jeremiah describes this condition with graphic clarity:
10prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
11They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace.
12Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush. (Jer. 8:10b–12a, emphasis added)
In Jeremiah’s situation, what made the priests’ and prophets’ conduct detestable was its deviation from God’s will. They had convinced themselves that their false message of peace was true and acceptable! The priests’ and prophets’ retrained consciences did not register the shame they should have experienced that could have curtailed their false teaching.
Jim’s conscience is registering his sin, and so it would appear that his shame is appropriate. Pastor Paul could capitalize on this and guide Jim further in his spiritual development to move beyond this sin. (See my article Responding to Relapse: A Pastor’s Questions for suggestions on how this could be done.)
Shame might frustrate sinners’ growth
There is another possible direction Jim’s shame might go, however. Suppose Jim returns to his pastor’s office two months after their counseling had helped him regain sexual purity and their conversation runs like this:
“Hi Jim! It’s good to see you. What can I do for you today?”
“Paul, I’m struggling again.”
“Jim, have you gotten back into porn?”
“No, not really. I mean, I do sometimes remember those images, but I haven’t gone looking for new ones. But, I just can’t believe how much I’ve hurt Rachael.”
“Has she brought this up in a recent conversation?”
“No, she hasn’t. But what kind of man must I be to have done this to her? I wasn’t raised to think any of this is acceptable. Five—ten—years ago, I never imagined I’d do this sort of thing.”
In this scenario, Jim feels defiled or stained by his past sin all over again. If left unchecked, this shame will frustrate his spiritual growth. Assuming Pastor Paul had walked him through what the Bible teaches regarding God’s readiness to forgive our sins because of Jesus’ death on the cross, what else can be said to help Jim? Here is a tactic Jim’s pastor might use with him.
Defiling shame is cleansed by the blood of Jesus
Pastor Paul might help Jim see there is a subtle pride at work. Jim always had considered himself above this type of sin. Now that he knows he is not, his image of himself is shattered. This has produced a nagging sense of uncertainty for him. But Jim must learn to rest in Christ’s sufficient sacrifice for his cleansing.2 No one can ask for anything more, because God says nothing more is needed. “For by one sacrifice he [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14; see also Heb. 9:14).
A good illustration of this sufficient cleansing power is found in the Apostle Paul’s experience. Like Jim, Paul—as Saul, the Pharisee—thought of himself in positive terms, which he rehearses in Philippians 3:5–6: “Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” He expands on his zeal for persecuting the church in Galatians 1:13: “I persecuted the church of God [whom he thought he was serving!] and tried to destroy it.” Then, his encounter with the risen Christ forced him to see how wrong and self-deceived he was.
Later in his life he recounted again what he had been like as a non-Christian, yet in even more unflattering terms: “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man” (1 Tim. 1:13). Recognizing this, Paul was overwhelmed with how God blessed him through Jesus (see v. 14). Here is the bottom line for Jim: “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.3 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (vv. 15–16 ESV, emphasis added).
Jim can be reminded that if the Apostle Paul could be cleansed and be used by God as he was, then Jim has no reason to view himself any differently. In fact, Jim should find himself echoing the exuberant praise of the Apostle: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (v. 17). His Lord deserves nothing less, because Jim deserved nothing more.4
Responding to Relapse: A Pastor’s Questions
Originally posted at: http://www.careleader.org/responding-relapse-pastors-questions/
August 24, 2016 by
im had been married to Rachael for eight years when she caught him viewing Internet porn, which he told her had been happening several times a week during the previous two months. Rachael was appalled and in shock! For the ten years she had known him, he’d seemed like an outstanding, moral Christian man. Jim agreed to seek counseling with their pastor. Jim and Pastor Paul agreed to the following:
- Jim would be asked a series of accountability questions every week.
- Jim would move the computer to a more public place in the home.
- Rachael would put a program on their computer to block access to inappropriate sites.
- Jim would start a program of Scripture memorization regarding purity.
Though Jim stopped viewing Internet porn, Rachael subsequently discovered that he had gone to an adult bookstore to purchase a pornographic magazine. Both Rachael and Pastor Paul were surprised and frustrated with Jim.
Pastor Paul approached me with these questions, “What did I do wrong? Do I have any business trying to help someone with this type of problem?”
“Paul, I don’t think you did anything wrong. Each of the strategies you used with Jim was fine. Asking accountability questions confronts Jim’s double life. Sin thrives in an atmosphere of deceit and secrecy. Placing the computer in the living room makes it harder for him to sin with it. That is consistent with Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:29–30 (ESV): ‘If your right eye [or] your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away,’ rather than go to hell. In other words, it’s good to make it difficult for Jim to sin again.”
“But it didn’t work! Do you think the Bible is appropriate for this type of problem?”
The Bible is sufficient for discipleship
“Yes, I do think it’s appropriate. Let me clarify: The Bible is sufficient to give us what we need to know in order to honor God in all areas of our lives. Peter tells us that everything we need for a godly life is available through our knowledge of the One who called us so that we might become more like Him (2 Pet. 1:3–4). As Jim’s pastor, the Bible is your tool to accomplish what God wants you to accomplish with him (Ps. 119; 2 Tim. 3:16–17). Although cultures and technologies change over time, the human heart has not changed since the fall. Jesus, Paul, and Peter did not have computers, but they had to deal with the same motives and desires of the human heart that drive the search for computer porn today. Lust now is what it was then.”
“But what I did—which I think is ‘biblical’—didn’t work. What more could I have done?”
“I think what you set up with Jim was fine as far as it went. We just need to make sure your strategies reflect the depth of the Bible’s portrayal of the human condition and God’s response to it in Christ.”
“Go ahead …”
The Bible is sufficient to expose our double-mindedness
“Two characteristics of the fallen human heart are ‘double-mindedness’ and ‘self-deception.’ James (1:8, 4:8) uses the concept of ‘double-mindedness’ to describe a professing Christian who tries to live according to two opposing value systems simultaneously. Trying to live by God’s standards and the world’s standards at the same time produces these effects: instability, inconsistency, hypocrisy, conflict, and ultimately, a friendship with the world that makes the person an enemy of God.
“For Jim, this means two things. First, being at odds with God blocks his access to the power and wisdom that God provides when we humbly ask Him (Rom. 6:5–11; Gal. 5:22–25; James 1:5–7). Second, double-mindedness means there will be an ongoing drain on his resolve to live a Christian life. The resulting emotional distress will set up Jim for impulsive, self-centered reactions, like retreating into the fantasy world of porn. Pornographic fantasizing can distract him from the distress temporarily, and that is very reinforcing. But in the long run, the consequences associated with the self-centered reactions will overshadow any perceived benefits, and his life will spiral downward in a tailspin. If that happens, then he likely will seek short-term relief, driven by a sense of desperation. ‘People are slaves to whatever has mastered them’ (2 Pet. 2:19).
The Bible is sufficient to expose our self-deceptions
“Double-mindedness is nurtured by the capacity we have for self-deception. We can layer untrue beliefs about the world upon untrue beliefs about ourselves in such a way that, without someone intervening, we don’t even realize the inconsistencies in our lives (Jer. 17:9; Gal. 6:1–3; James 1:22–25).
Self-deceptions seem to justify sinful behavior
“We deceive ourselves in a variety of ways, so I think you need to help Jim come to recognize how he manages to deceive himself. You need to ask him a question like, ‘What do you say to yourself leading up to your use of porn?’ In essence, you’re asking for his rationalizations that seem to ‘justify’—or even ‘warrant’—the use of porn. Then you need to help him replace that thinking with more biblical thinking.”
“I wonder what possible justifications he could have for this.”
“Jim might be telling himself that he is unworthy of his wife’s affection. If so, inquire about what evidence supports his conclusion. Or Jim might be telling himself that Rachael is not going to satisfy him the way he ‘needs.’ If so, you should help him understand the distinction between ‘need’ and ‘desire.’ He may have convinced himself he ‘needs’ something from her that is unnecessary or ungodly. Jim might be telling himself that ‘it’s better to use porn than to go out and have an affair with someone.’ If so, he should be reminded that lust ‘in the heart’ is no less offensive to God than acting on it with another person (Matt. 5:28)—even though the social consequences are less severe.
“Some of these ungodly beliefs could come out in your conversations about his temptations, but not necessarily. Jim could focus more on circumstances or other external considerations without going any deeper into the thoughts and desires of his heart. But that’s ultimately where the conversations need to go. It might take a while for him to come up with answers to these questions, and it will take time for his thinking to be constrained by the Bible. Be patient with him.
Self-deceptions can confuse our regrets
“A particularly important self-deception you need to be on the alert for is ‘worldly sorrow’ substituting for ‘godly sorrow’ in Jim’s life (see 2 Cor. 7:10–11). In both types, there is regret and an emotional burden (guilt and/or shame). In both types, there can be tears and apologies. Unfortunately, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that the experience of worldly sorrow is sufficient to prompt positive changes in our lives. In fact, worldly sorrow can motivate lifestyle changes, but there’s a fundamental problem with changes motivated by worldly sorrow: they don’t honor the Lord. If they don’t honor the Lord, they afford no protection against further sin; in fact, they actually prepare the person for further sin.
“Therefore, if Jim is showing signs of remorse, you should ask him, ‘What are the consequences of your behavior that you regret?’ If God’s honor is not a prominent part of his answer, you can assume he is experiencing worldly sorrow. In that case, help Jim grasp the depths of God’s holiness and grace, like Isaiah did from his vision in the temple (Isa. 6). Impress upon him the reality mentioned in Galatians 6:7–8: You should not allow yourself to be deceived. God will not be mocked. You will reap what you sow. Fortunately, you can reassure Jim by telling him God’s grace is always sufficient to insure a good harvest.”
“Great. I’ll give this a try. Thanks.”
Moving forward
The fallout from a relapse can touch many lives in many ways. In Jim’s case, his wife’s trust has been shattered. His pastor’s faith has been challenged. Jim, of course, has several significant challenges ahead of him. In this article I touch on the challenges of double-mindedness and self-deception. Another challenge for Jim will be dealing with shame–a sense that now he is fundamentally flawed. Shame will push him to reconsider the way he’s always thought of himself. In my article Responding to Relapse: Dealing with the Shame, I pick up Jim’s struggle with this potentially pernicious fallout of sin.
What Society Thinks of Sex Addicts…
What Society thinks of Sex Addicts:
What God thinks of Sex Addicts:
