There seems to be a new variation on the "You've been hacked" scam going around - one user DM'd me today in a bit of a panic, so I thought I'd share just in case...
I've been getting emails for some time now from a variety of 'expert hackers' who have apparently been able to access my webcam and record me doing unspeakable things - the evidence for which will be sent to my contacts unless I send bitcoin to an anonymous web address.
- My web cam has been taped over for years, and my time for unspeakable habits of any sort is usually reserved for sleeping and eating, so it's an empty threat; but if you have a bad conscience... it's a nice bit of social engineering.
My recent contact had found a new note titled "Pay Attention - you've been hacked" - which included the same sort of explanation; 'we viewed all your notes, will post them online unless you pay bitcoin' yada yada...
The account Access Logs included lots of Russian-based access to the account, so it appears that the password had been leaked* from somewhere and someone did have access to the account.
This user had already changed the account password, so my advice was: go to the (internet fraud) cops / tell Evernote.
My advice to you, dear reader, would be:
If you haven't changed your Evernote password for a while, do it now. I did. (I know that's a pain - your choice if you want to take the risk)
Use a different password for Evernote to anything else you might use elsewhere. Have a look at password managers like Lastpass / Bitwarden if that's a problem for you. (They remember passwords and generate secure strings like @tJsVmmQ8d)
Use 2FA - two factor authentication - to limit access to the account to you.
Sign up to https://haveibeenpwned.com/ with all your email addresses - I do not think that Evernote has any leaks, but lots of other very large organisations do. If your password data leaks, bad actors will try that information on other sites to see what falls out...
Check the Access logs for any unusual activity and block any access you don't recognize.
Idea
gazumped 12,021
There seems to be a new variation on the "You've been hacked" scam going around - one user DM'd me today in a bit of a panic, so I thought I'd share just in case...
I've been getting emails for some time now from a variety of 'expert hackers' who have apparently been able to access my webcam and record me doing unspeakable things - the evidence for which will be sent to my contacts unless I send bitcoin to an anonymous web address.
- My web cam has been taped over for years, and my time for unspeakable habits of any sort is usually reserved for sleeping and eating, so it's an empty threat; but if you have a bad conscience... it's a nice bit of social engineering.
My recent contact had found a new note titled "Pay Attention - you've been hacked" - which included the same sort of explanation; 'we viewed all your notes, will post them online unless you pay bitcoin' yada yada...
The account Access Logs included lots of Russian-based access to the account, so it appears that the password had been leaked* from somewhere and someone did have access to the account.
This user had already changed the account password, so my advice was: go to the (internet fraud) cops / tell Evernote.
My advice to you, dear reader, would be:
I'm sure I missed out some useful tips and tricks - please add -em below in the comments.
And the advice I gave above is still good: you get one of these emails or find a note -
... and tell us here, obviously!! 🙂
EDIT: My Webcam -
Link to comment
5 replies to this idea
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now