Do you know what Porn Blackmail is?
Porn Blackmail is a sextortion scam that is used to trick people into thinking they have done something illegal, and now they have to pay to avoid being charged with criminal offence. Needless to say, sextortion scams come forth bringing fake information. It is very unlikely that anyone could track your online activity to that extent (if anything, you would be notified about it in other ways). Therefore, it is not wise to follow whatever Porn Blackmail says. Simply delete the email that informs you about the supposed offence, and make sure you do not get swayed by similar phishing attempts in the future.
So, what does this Porn Blackmail look like, and how come there are users who fall for this scam? The message that comes with the phishing email says the following:
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 this video, your web browser acted as a RDP (Remote Desktop) and a keylogger which provided me access to you display screen and webcam.
<…>
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!).
It is clear that anyone who doesn’t engage in similar activities wouldn’t get swayed by such an email message. Thus, the success rate Porn Blackmail is lower than its owners would like. But the fact that such emails still get sent out proves that there are users who fall for the trick. Maybe they feel guilty for watching porn, who knows. The point is that someone can still be bullied into paying the money, when they think their secrets can be spilled.
There is also another reason Porn Blackmail might convince some users it is the real deal. When you receive an email, it usually comes with a subject line, right? So, the subject line with Porn Blackmail comes with an actual email password. However, users who received this Porn Blackmail message point out that the passwords used in the subject line were old, and they haven’t used them for many years. Thus, it shows that hackers use old data that was probably leaked by various hacks many years prior to the actual attack.
What does it mean? It means that we have to pay close attention to the passwords that we use, especially if we access those accounts every single day. Although it is often easy to tell Porn Blackmail and regular emails apart, some users might still fall for this trick, spending a lot of money for nothing. Security researchers suggest that users regularly change their passwords because then it is harder to crack them. Of course, if you have multiple accounts, coming up with new passwords every single time can be quite tedious. Therefore, you should consider employing a password manager that can help you generate new and strong passwords. Not to mention that a password manager can store the passwords for you, and you won’t have to remember them by heart.
Either way, the bottom line is that you should NOT do anything Porn Blackmail says. When you think that the email tries to extort money out of you, you might as well report that email to cybersecurity authorities. Also, it is important to employ various security measures that would prevent you from becoming a sextortion victim.
For one, you definitely need to ignore such emails. Also, law enforcement authorities say that you should never share your compromising images with anyone. It doesn’t matter if you trust the person, once the images are uploaded to an online server, they can be hacked or leaked. If you receive emails with attachments, and you don’t know the sender, be sure to delete the email without even opening the attached file. Finally, be careful about your webcams. If you don’t feel comfortable just seeing the webcam even if it is turned off, you can cover it with a post-it or an actual webcam cover. It is really is easy to purchase them nowadays, and they are available in a variety of colors! So, it is up to you to protect your personal information and your financial security from cybercriminals.