EXTORTION EXAMPLES PASSWORD

One of the best ways you can protect yourself from cyber extortion is to keep your social media private, which includes monitor ing who you accept as a friend.Īdditionally, be careful what you post on there and don’t reveal too much information about yourself, your location or your daily routines - these things can become vital information for hackers and other cyber criminals. It’s amazing how much information can be extracted from a public social media presence. Step back, try not to stress about it and report what is happening. Banks and government agencies will never contact you via email to offer money.Īdditionally, if the language is threatening, understand that the hacker may just be trying his luck. Make sure you check the language in the emails, if it looks to o good to be true it probably is - especially if the spelling and grammar are also questionable.įor example, if you get a text or email saying you have money to collect, such as a tax refund, it’s always good to think critically about what claims are being made. Never click on a link embedded in an email that you don’t recognise and use your common sense by reading the URL carefully for any signs of an illegitimate website. Links like this can be hidden in emails and text messages and appear as hyperlinks or as shortened URL's. I f you have used one of your regular passwords, then hackers can use these details to login to other sites and extract valuable information about you. Unauthorised sites are often built by hackers and scammers, and by entering your details you are giving hackers exactly what they want.

EXTORTION EXAMPLES PASSWORD

Instead of using auto-fill on online forms, you could even look at getting a password manager for all of the sites and apps you log in to 3.

The website, is a great way to stay updated on data breaches and you can even see if your email address has been accessed during a data breach. Try to keep track of sites you visit, so that when these breaches happen you aware of if your data may have been stolen and you can change your password. Big companies like airlines, social media apps like Facebook or Instagram and online shopping sites can be victim to data breaches, and stolen data is often then sold on the dark web. Think about the variety of websites you’ve visited that have store d your data in some way. If you have the option, set up more than one type of second factor so you have a backup plan to get into your password manager account. The NCSC strongly recommend that you set up two factor authentication on the password manager account, because if a criminal accesses your account, they'll potentially have access to all your passwords and associated accounts. A password manager is an app on your phone, tablet or computer that stores your passwords securely, so you don’t need to remember them all. If you find remembering a lot of different passwords difficult you can use a password manager. Using the same password across multiple accounts means your password can be compromised easily, so it is best to use a different password for every account. You can choose words that are memorable but should avoid those which might be easy to guess, such as 'onetwothree' or are closely related to you personally, such as the names of family members or pets. You just put them together, like 'coffeetrainfish' or ‘walltinshirt’. You're probably aware that there’s a lot of guidance out there on what makes a good password - and it can be incredibly confusing. National Cyber Security Centre recommend using three random words. Avoid using a common password across all the platforms you use - because chances are, if one becomes compromised - all of them can! M any c yber crimes can be avoided with better, stronger passwords. Here are some top tips and what to do if you feel threatened. How can you protect yourself from cyber extortion?Īlthough this may seem like a scary prospect, there are many ways to spot the signs of cyber extortion, whether it's a dodgy email, text or otherwise. What is cyber extortion?Ĭyber extortion i s an online form of crime where criminals use threats to pressure victims into handing over money or other goods.Īn example of this could be getting hold of sensitive information / data about you and threatening to share it or event infecting a computer system with a virus that can only be removed when a payment has been received.

This means that cyber criminals have more opportunit y to make money and are becoming better at doing it.Įxtortion is a popular form of c yber crime, that could target both individuals and businesses. As c yber crime continues to grow throughout the world, rates are so high it’s now considered an ‘ i ndustry’.

Extortion examples