ANGELIQUE ARDÉ: Stolen passwords, porn and blackmail for bitcoin: how hackers threaten privacy
Until Popi is in full force, we're all in the painful position of having a law that provides no practicable remedy
A friend recently received an e-mail that began as follows: "I am aware ********* is your pass[word]. Let's get right to purpose. You do not know me and you're probably thinking why you are getting this mail? I installed software on the adult (sexually graphic) website and guess what, you visited this website to have fun (you know what I mean)." The writer then claims to have video footage of my friend watching porn and threatens to release it to all her Facebook and e-mail contacts if she doesn't cough up $1,000 in 24 hours - in bitcoin. "If you do not know this, search for 'how to buy bitcoin' in Google."
The bad grammar and typos are funny, I know, and might indicate the work of an amateur, but the scamster had her password. My friend ignored the e-mail, describing herself as "way too boring to visit a porn site". But she can't ignore the fact that the only time she used that password was to track her recent application for a British visa. "The application is made online, o...
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