0 reactions
(On this day
7 years ago)
I use FIREFOX browser and NORTON Anti-Virus (and a few free/subscription AVs just to periodically check on pc-health/vulnerability, etc,) -but recently was alerted (by a Firefox security monitoring extension) that one of my current eMail accounts has recently been shown on ' the dark web .'
Cited were some web-hosting sites that have shared/been hacked that I've used, years ago, and that thousands, even MILLIONS of user's eMail, passwords and 'other data' were stolen and being sold on said 'dark web.'
Needless to say, I scrambled to change and heavily obfuscate all my passwords on every current account. My passwords are typically very, very difficult anyway (I used to be an avid #LINUX user so character-heavy passwords were not unfamiliar to me.)
Well, within days of this Firefox extension 'warning' me of this breach, I began gettting dozens and dozens of spammy eMails on that particular eMail account. -Viagra, Cialis, Hot Brazilian Chics, Asian Babes, hot naughty chat, -- shit like that.
Well, I created a new personal eMail account to be rid of spammy eMails like this and for this past week, have been re-populating my Contacts, Subscriptions, etc. therein. All with the intent to CANCEL the 'compromised' account/s.
Tonight just for shits-n-giggles, I signed into an old 'semi-disposable' eMail account that I created back in 2015 during my web-page building/beta-testing period and have not used since circa late 2017, -among the maybe one-hundred plus 'spammy' commercial posts that have accumulated, was an actual THREAT from a hacker!
In the lengthy message, s/he showed an actual PASSWORD that I used to use from that dedicated-use account (a password that was changed by me almost two years ago, apparently AFTER the site I used it on was 'hacked'!) and his 'threat' further fell apart when his 'demand' for $800 in #BitCoin **** ( Depending on when in 2015 you made the purchase, $800 would have bought between 1.74 BTC and 5 BTC ) **** to be deposited into the provided BitCoin wallet provided with his claim to have 'recorded' me via my webcam in '...compromising sexual acts' and would post this (non-existent!) video on social media if I fail to pay-up! (My webcam is and always has been heavily taped-over, -no video is or ever was possible!) And really? I'd be about as scared if he claimed to have 'actual video' of me on a grassy knoll in Dallas in 1963... So, a great big fat FUCK YOU to that exaggerated threat!
I have staged for deletion my 'affected' eMails accounts (and created new, heavily secured 2-step authorization passcodes to further thwart future hack attempts) and with that, -a generic WARNING to you all:
-Treat your password/s like your toothbrush: don't let anyone else use yours and get a NEW one every 6 months... especially this, CREATE A NEW PASSWORD EVERY SIX MONTHS (or oftener if you can deal with it.)
This (hopefully!) has saved me from a very real hacking threat...
#hacker #scammer #phishing #phishingawareness
7 years ago)
I use FIREFOX browser and NORTON Anti-Virus (and a few free/subscription AVs just to periodically check on pc-health/vulnerability, etc,) -but recently was alerted (by a Firefox security monitoring extension) that one of my current eMail accounts has recently been shown on ' the dark web .'
Cited were some web-hosting sites that have shared/been hacked that I've used, years ago, and that thousands, even MILLIONS of user's eMail, passwords and 'other data' were stolen and being sold on said 'dark web.'
Needless to say, I scrambled to change and heavily obfuscate all my passwords on every current account. My passwords are typically very, very difficult anyway (I used to be an avid #LINUX user so character-heavy passwords were not unfamiliar to me.)
Well, within days of this Firefox extension 'warning' me of this breach, I began gettting dozens and dozens of spammy eMails on that particular eMail account. -Viagra, Cialis, Hot Brazilian Chics, Asian Babes, hot naughty chat, -- shit like that.
Well, I created a new personal eMail account to be rid of spammy eMails like this and for this past week, have been re-populating my Contacts, Subscriptions, etc. therein. All with the intent to CANCEL the 'compromised' account/s.
Tonight just for shits-n-giggles, I signed into an old 'semi-disposable' eMail account that I created back in 2015 during my web-page building/beta-testing period and have not used since circa late 2017, -among the maybe one-hundred plus 'spammy' commercial posts that have accumulated, was an actual THREAT from a hacker!
In the lengthy message, s/he showed an actual PASSWORD that I used to use from that dedicated-use account (a password that was changed by me almost two years ago, apparently AFTER the site I used it on was 'hacked'!) and his 'threat' further fell apart when his 'demand' for $800 in #BitCoin **** ( Depending on when in 2015 you made the purchase, $800 would have bought between 1.74 BTC and 5 BTC ) **** to be deposited into the provided BitCoin wallet provided with his claim to have 'recorded' me via my webcam in '...compromising sexual acts' and would post this (non-existent!) video on social media if I fail to pay-up! (My webcam is and always has been heavily taped-over, -no video is or ever was possible!) And really? I'd be about as scared if he claimed to have 'actual video' of me on a grassy knoll in Dallas in 1963... So, a great big fat FUCK YOU to that exaggerated threat!
I have staged for deletion my 'affected' eMails accounts (and created new, heavily secured 2-step authorization passcodes to further thwart future hack attempts) and with that, -a generic WARNING to you all:
-Treat your password/s like your toothbrush: don't let anyone else use yours and get a NEW one every 6 months... especially this, CREATE A NEW PASSWORD EVERY SIX MONTHS (or oftener if you can deal with it.)
This (hopefully!) has saved me from a very real hacking threat...
#hacker #scammer #phishing #phishingawareness
