Hackers now target part of passwords
Cyber criminals use program to identify first 3 letters of passwords to blackmail residents
Crooks use program to identify first 3 letters of email passwords to blackmail, Dubai Police warn residents |
Dubai Police yesterday warned residents against ‘phoney hackers’ who use a special program to identify the first three letters of email passwords in order to blackmail users.
The warning came after hackers blackmailed victims in Dubai asking for payment in Bitcoins.
Major-General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs of Dubai Police, said hackers have a new method in extortion by sending an email to the victim with first three letters of their internet passwords in order to convince them that they have access to their personal content on email.
“Hackers have a new online extortion method. They use a program to get the first three letters of the passwords as proof that they have hacked the email. The terrified victims have paid the money,” Maj Gen Al Mansouri said.The police registered five such incidents recently.
In one case, an Asian man who secretly made a funny video of his boss to send it to other employees was targeted by hackers. He received an email from a stranger saying he had hacked his email address and threatened to post his personal details and pictures online unless he paid him with Bitcoins.
He lodged a complaint with Dubai Police as he was scared that his director would know about the video.
Lieutenant Colonel Salem Salmeen, Deputy Director of Cybercrimes Department in Dubai Police, said hackers are coming up with new methods to blackmail people. “The phoney hacking is a new method. The naivety of some people help the hackers to obtain their personal content which are then used against them,” Lt Col Salmeen said.
In another incident, a woman who saved personal pictures taken during a wedding, received a message that her email password was hacked. Officers checked her phone and told her that she was a victim of phoney hacking.
“The hacker doesn’t have the full password but tries to fool the victim that he has. Victims should inform police about online extortion immediately,” Lt Col Salmeen added.
According to the UAE’s Cyber Crime Law, anyone who uses the internet to blackmail a victim can be jailed for up to 10 years.