Cyber Security

I received an email blackmail. What should I do?

 Receiving a threatening email is unpleasant enough at the best of times, but when it contains an actual password that you have used, it can feel devastating.

 Seeing your password, written in black and white from a stranger is a frightening sight. It is usually accompanied by a poorly written email containing a threat to post video of you doing embarrassing things to all of your social media contacts.

 Whilst most victims don’t pay the hackers, some do, and it is this small minority that fuels an entire illicit industry. If the password is right, people will sometimes give the rest of the message more gravitas than they might have, had it not contained one.

 The majority of victims will copy some of the email and google it. They will then quickly see that many others have received the same one. The following advice will usually suggest that you have nothing to worry about as the hackers are bluffing and have no intention to carry out the threat. Not only that, but the footage that they claim to have of you doesn’t even exist.

 Whilst this is generally true, it fails to address the elephant in the room.

 You have been hacked, compromised, pwned, or breached!

 Your data has been stolen, leaked and is available on the dark web.

 It is currently being used as currency by criminal elements and constantly changing hands.

 So… what should the advice be?

 Any victim of any data breach should be proactive and urgently so.

 1.      Search for breaches across every email account you have and have ever had.

2.      Change the passwords on every account. This can protect you against future pwnage

3.      Remember that “minor” breaches are doors that have been left ajar and can lead to major breaches. Treat “minor” breaches (old information that you haven’t used for a while) as seriously as you might more recent or more severe breaches like bank account details or IDs.

4.      Think about signing up for a proactive protective service like Data Breach Shield. They have a toolbox that can help you continually monitor the progression of securing your online presence.

5.      Call your bank, order replacement cards and check your statements thoroughly.