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Originally Posted by thud123
<...snip...>This method is very good for creating "skareware" as I call it - sending you an email usually from your own address saying that they have hacked you and have been watching you surf the internet and then demanding bitcoin payment for not spreading the news of your lurid browsing habits. <...>
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A couple of months ago I got one of those e-mails telling me they filmed me via my computer's camera having fun while I surfed porn, and demanded bitcoins (I don't even have a camera on my computer - it's old and I didn't go for that option).
The password they used was one I used many years ago on a forum that I closed my account on years ago. I supposed they hacked that site.
Anyway, they obviously sold me address and expired password to others because at it's peak I was getting 10 or 15 per day.
I just ignored and deleted.
I keep good AV and Malware apps on my computer, keep them updated, use strong passwords, and am careful with my surfing habits. That doesn't guarantee I'll never get hacked, but it lowers the odds greatly. The hackers would rather go for low hanging fruit. If they are going to spend a lot of work hacking, they will usually go for something more rewarding than what I have to steal.
The most commonly used and easily hacked passwords of 2018 according to one source (avoid these or anything easy)
123456
password
123456789
12345678
12345
111111
1234567
sunshine
qwerty
iloveyou
princess
admin
welcome
666666
abc123
football
123123
monkey
654321
!~#$%^&*
charlie
aa123456
donald
password1
qwerty123
Anybody using passwords like these is living dangerously.
Bob