Ransom email scam - How to mass extort bitcoins via spam campaign
Thursday, May 2. 2019
I've been receiving couple of these already:
Hello!
This is important information for you!
Some months ago I hacked your OS and got full access to your account one-of-my-emails@redacted
On day of hack your account one-of-my-emails@redacted has password: m7wgwpr7
So, you can change the password, yes.. Or already changed... But my malware intercepts it every time.
How I made it:
In the software of the router, through which you went online, was a vulnerability. I used it...
If you interested you can read about it: CVE-2019-1663 - a vulnerability in the web-based management interface of the Cisco routers. I just hacked this router and placed my malicious code on it. When you went online, my trojan was installed on the OS of your device.
After that, I made a full backup of your disk (I have all your address book, history of viewing sites, all files, phone numbers and addresses of all your contacts).
A month ago, I wanted to lock your device and ask for a not big amount of btc to unlock. But I looked at the sites that you regularly visit, and I was shocked by what I saw!!! I'm talk you about sites for adults.
I want to say - you are a BIG pervert. Your fantasy is shifted far away from the normal course!
And I got an idea.... I made a screenshot of the adult sites where you have fun (do you understand what it is about, huh?). After that, I made a screenshot of your joys (using the camera of your device) and glued them together. Turned out amazing! You are so spectacular!
I'm know that you would not like to show these screenshots to your friends, relatives or colleagues.
I think $748 is a very, very small amount for my silence. Besides, I have been spying on you for so long, having spent a lot of time!
Pay ONLY in Bitcoins!
Note: That is only the beginning of long rambling to make me convinced this is for real.
The good thing is, that I finally found my lost password. As stated in the scam mail, it is: m7wgwpr7
Wait a minute! Nobody should post their passwords publicly! No worries, I'll post all of mine. You can find them from https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists/blob/master/Passwords/Common-Credentials/10-million-password-list-top-1000000.txt As a careful Internet user, I only use passwords from that one million -list.
Also, thank you for informing me about a security flaw allowing remote code execution in my Cisco RV110W Wireless-N VPN Firewall, Cisco RV130W Wireless-N Multifunction VPN Router or Cisco RV215W Wireless-N VPN Router. I don't know exactly which one of those I have. I may need to re-read CVE-2019-1663 Detail again for details.
Good thing you mentioned, that you are capable of intercepting my attempts of changing my account password. I'm too scared to use Internet anywhere else than through my Cisco <whatever the model was> router. I'll never use my cell phone, office network or any public Wi-Fi for Internet access.
Nice job on finding the camera in one of my desktop PCs. I personally haven't found any in them yet!
Also I'm happy to know, that now somebody has backups of all my Windowses, Macs and Linuxes I use on regular basis. Including my NAS, that's nearly 20 terabytes of data! Transferring all that out of my Internet connections without me noticing anything is really a feat. Congrats on that one!
PS. Are you for real!