How to deal with Bitcoin ransom emails?

Bitcoin extortion email refers to an email received in the mailbox. The content of the email usually contains: the malware on the computer has captured indecent photos of the recipient through the webcam, and knows the recipient. The person's real password, etc., instills fear in the recipient and requires payment of hush fee in the form of "Bitcoin".

The content of this kind of Bitcoin extortion email often appears in English or Japanese, as shown below: English version

Japanese version

This kind of extortion email It is not credible that this method is actually particularly clumsy, and your computer does not have so-called malware and Trojans. Real malware ransomware looks like this:

And all files on the computer will be encrypted. For a hacker, he obtains passwords through Trojan horses and directly uses viruses for ransom instead of using emails with the lowest threshold. So where did you get the password in the ransom email? The password may not be leaked from our local computer, but the user's account name or clear text password may be leaked by some websites or platforms for various reasons. Some hackers package them into "data packages" and sell them publicly on the dark web. Most of these accounts have email addresses, so extortion can only be carried out through email. For example: CSDN was exposed to a password leak in 2011, and the information of 6 million users was leaked. Subsequently, the password leakage incident spread to Tianya Forum and other websites, and 40 million account passwords were leaked one after another. These passwords were all leaked in plain text and became a channel for extortion. This kind of extortion email is just the most common method of extortion. What is terrible is the customized extortion targeting specific targets. For example, the "indecent photo" attached to the blackmail email is a Photoshopped "indecent photo". This kind of PS trace is quite serious. Only the avatar is your own, and the identity and background in the photo are not yours.

Why blackmail Bitcoin? Bitcoin-related extortion cases are common and come in all kinds of tricks. Bitcoin is anonymous and difficult to trace. A string of private keys corresponds to a sum of "money", which exactly meets the needs of the blackmailer.

Unlike common currencies, Bitcoin does not rely on the issuance of a specific monetary institution. It is only generated through a large number of calculations based on a specific algorithm, so it can bypass the banking system and can be easily traded across countries. Bitcoin uses a distributed database composed of many nodes in the P2P network to confirm and record transaction behavior, and uses cryptographic design to ensure the security of each link. All these make Bitcoin difficult to trace, will not reveal its identity, and can be circulated quickly and widely.

In the eyes of many people, Bitcoin, which has its own halo, has become a vocal force in fighting for monetary freedom, realizing asset appreciation, and developing wealth-making technology, but it also has another face: an accomplice of criminals. .

The China Internet Finance Association issued "Tips on Preventing the Risks of Bitcoin and Other So-called "Virtual Currencies", saying that Bitcoin and other so-called "virtual currencies" lack a clear value basis. Bitcoin and other so-called "virtual currencies" "It has increasingly become a tool for illegal and criminal activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal fund-raising, etc. Investors should remain vigilant and report immediately if they find clues to illegal and criminal activities." What should I do if I receive a Bitcoin ransom email? Under normal circumstances, you can ignore this kind of email, because these kind of emails are sent in large groups, and they appear one after another. If real accounts and passwords are involved, you can analyze the channels through which they were leaked and change some important passwords immediately.

If the blackmailer will take the next step through the email, he will indeed have a lot of important information. So under no circumstances should you transfer Bitcoin to the blackmailer. This is definitely a bottomless pit. Keep all evidence and call the police. The above is just my personal opinion. Criticisms and corrections are welcome. If you agree with my opinion, please give it a thumbs up and leave, thank you! If you like me, please follow me, thank you again!