Hello everybody! π Somebody I do know just lately bought an e mail informing them that their account had been hacked. The topic of the e-mail had their password and the e-mail went like this:
πΈπ πππππ ππππ, xxxxxxxx, ππ π’πππ πππππ πππ.
πΈ πππππππ π’πππ ππππππππ πππππππππ πππ πππ πππ πππ‘π πΈπΊ πππππ, ππ πΈ π πππ πππππππππ’ ππππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ πππ ππ πππππππππππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππ π’πππ ππππ.
π·ππππ, π’ππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ ππππππππππ’. π±ππ πΈ ππππ πππππ’πππππ ππππππππππ π’ππ. ππππ ππππππ ππ πππππππ ππππ, ππππππππππ ππππππππ πππππ π πππ πππ πππ πππππππ ππππππππ’ ππ π’πππ ππππππππ ππππ ππππππππ π·π½πΌ πππ’π.
πΈππππππππ, π’πππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππ, π ππππ ππππππ ππ ππ πππ πππππππ’ ππππππ π ππ’ πΈ βπ πππππππππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππ ππ π’ππ.
ππππ πππ ππππππππ ππππ π’ππ π πππ ππ πππ ππππ ππππππππ π πππππππ, ππ’ πππ’π πππ π ππ πππππππππ ππππππ π’πππ ππππππππ ππ’ππππ π ππππ πππππ ππ πππππππππ π ππ’π-ππππππππ πππππ πππππππ ππ π’πππ ππππ ππππππππ ππππ’ ππ’ ππππππππππ π’πππ π ππ πππ.
(π’ππ πππ π ππππππππππ’ πππππππ πππππ ππ’ πππ π ππ’ ππππ)πΈ ππ π πππ ππππππ πππππππππ. πΈπ, πππππππ π’ππ πππππ πΈ ππ πππππππ ππππππ, ππππ πππππ’ πππππ πππ πΈ π πππ ππ ππππ ππππππ πππ πππππππππ ππππππππ’ ππ π·πΈ ππππππ π’ππβππ πππππππ π πππ.
πΈπ πππ’ ππ π’πππ ππππππ, ππ π ππππππ, ππππ, πππππππ (πΈβπ πππ ππππ! πΌπ’ πππππ πππ π πππ ππππππππ’ ππππππ πππ ππππππππ).
ππππ π’ππ ππ πππππππ ππ ππππ ππππ πππ’πππβπ ππ’ππ πππππ πππππ ππ? πΈ ππππππππ ππππβ¦
π±ππ, ππ ππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππ πππππ.
πΈ π ππππ ππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ π πππ ππππ, ππ ππππππππππ πππππ.
π±ππ’ $ πΈπΆπΆπΆ ππ πππππππ πππ ππππ ππππ ππ πππ πππππ πππππππ:
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[π²π°ππ΄ ππ΄π½ππΈππΈπ π΄ ππ ππππ’ πππ πππππ ππ, πππ ππππππ * ππππ ππ](πΈπ π’ππ πππβπ ππππππππππ πππ , ππππππ πππ ππ πππππππ πππππππ. π³π πππ π ππππ ππ’ ππππππππ ππππ)
πΈπ π’ππ ππππ ππππ ππππππππππ βππππππππβ (π ππ’ πππβπ π π ππππ ππ ππππ?). π°ππππ ππππ, πΈ π πππ ππ ππ ππ’ πππ πππππ ππππ πππππππ π’ππ πππππ. πΈ π πππ πππππ πππππ’πππππ πΈ ππππ ππ ππππππππ ππ π’ππ. πππ πππ’ πππππ’ ππ ππππππ π’πππ πππππππ πππ’ ππ πππ’ ππππ π πππ ππππππππππ’ ππ ππππππ.
πππβππ πππ π· πππ’ ππ ππ ππ. ππππ ππππ π πππ πππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ ππ πππππππ ππππ πππππ. πΈ ππππ ππ πππππππ πππππππ ππππ ππππ π πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ πππ ππππ π-ππππ πππππππππ πππβπ πππ’ ππ ππππ’ πππππ.
They had been scared though they knew there was no delicate info which the hacker might have accessed. Once I bought their name explaining this e mail I used to be a bit confused. They requested me how the hacker discovered their e mail and password and I wasnβt certain. I began doing a little digging and shortly realized that that is non-trivial. On this submit, I’m going to elucidate how a hacker would get entry to your e mail and password (with out even hacking something) and also you positively shouldn’t ship any bitcoins to the hacker.
How hackers bought your e mail/password
The hackers get entry to a public dump of usernames, emails, and hashed passwords (amongst different issues) from completely different web site hacks. There have been quite a few excessive profile hacks within the final couple of years and the hackers normally put the hacked databases on-line. These databases normally include hashed passwords and over time individuals (hackers and safety professionals) can reverse these hashed passwords and get entry to plain-text passwords. Normally, these plaintext passwords additionally discover their strategy to on-line database dumps.
Now as soon as the hackers have entry to the emails and unhashed passwords, they mass e mail all of those customers asking them for cash. They normally put the passwords within the topic of the e-mail simply to ensure that their e mail catches the eye of the hacked person. The person reads their password and assumes that the hacker has entry to extra compromising details about them.
During the last couple of years among the excessive profile breaches are:
Have I Been Pawned?
Now you is likely to be questioning whether or not your e mail and password had been ever uncovered on-line as a part of a hack. You arenβt the one one questioning that. Troy Hunt (a safety researcher) runs an internet service, HaveIBeenPawned, the place you’ll be able to sort in your e mail and it’ll record all of the completely different web site breaches by which your e mail might need been uncovered.
Have I Been Pawned is a dependable and reliable service and also you donβt need to enter your password anyplace. You simply sort in your e mail thatβs it.
I looked for my e mail on Have I Been Pawned and came upon that my particulars had been leaked as a part of 9 separate web site breaches.
Please use password managers
In case your e mail is listed as having been leaked as a part of a breach it’s best to go forward and ensure you change the password on all of the companies the place that e mail is used. One of the best ways to try this is to make use of a password supervisor. These instruments can help you set robust and random passwords on your on-line accounts after which save them in a database. You solely have to recollect one grasp password on your e mail supervisor after which you’ll be able to simply see all the opposite saved passwords.
That is safer as a result of the password supervisor permits you to create distinctive passwords for every service so even when a web site is hacked you donβt have to return and alter your password on all different companies. Furthermore, the password managers ensure that your passwords are saved in such a means that even when the password supervisor itself is hacked your saved plaintext passwords arenβt leaked to the general public.
There are quite a few simple to make use of password managers on the market:
Please keep protected and ensure that earlier than you ship any cash to hackers you do your due diligence. In virtually 99.99% of the instances, hackers are simply utilizing public breach information to extort cash from unsuspecting customers and donβt have some other of your information. In an identical spirit, COVID-19 associated spam emails have been making rounds as effectively. Keep educated and donβt fall for the lure of truly sending any cash to those individuals.
I hope you discovered a factor or two on this submit. I’ll see you quickly β€οΈ π
