PexelsHackers are using malicious software to film people through their webcams while they view porn, security experts have warned.
For the hack to work, the sinister software has to be installed on a person’s PC or laptop. It can then be used to launch the webcam, record footage and send it over to a ‘criminal server’.
The hackers will then use the videos to blackmail those affected, threatening to send it to a person’s family.
Wikimedia CommonsThe software known as ‘PsiXBot’ can often be loaded to a computer without a person’s knowledge, and may be installed through a person using less reputable websites or by downloading infected videos, music files or software. Only computers running Microsoft Windows are thought to be affected.
Once installed, PsiXBot sits in the background of a computer waiting for a web browser page title containing a specific porn related keyword. Once the page is opened, the filming will begin, German publication Bild reports.
Users may be made aware of the situation after receiving an email containing words such as ‘can publish everything’, ‘dirty video of you’, ‘I recorded you’ and ‘pervert’.
Hackers will threaten to send footage to a person’s family if they don’t pay up, often requesting money in the form of untraceable Bitcoin.
Hackers threatening to sending videos of a person watching an porn is referred to as ‘sextortion’ and has been around for quite a while. However, the hackers’ ability to capture actual footage is a relatively recent development.
Prior to the launch of the new PornModule, hackers would claim they had videos of the user, however such footage rarely actually existed.
Software expert Werner Thalmeier, from security firm Proofpoint, said:
PsiXBot has been around for several years but a new module has been added that allows hackers to capture video.
[…] Now the threat is real and the program has already been distributed thousands of times.
Mr Thalmeier added:
This software is a semi-professional tool and much more dangerous than, say, attacks with manipulated e-mails, because the hidden program on the computer can hardly be found with a virus scanner.
PAProofpoint advises those who receive such emails to perform a full virus scan on their machine. This could reportedly take hours to run, depending on the hard drive capacity.
However, a computer expert from another security company has noted hackers who claim to have your details can often be bluffing.
Paul Ducklin, computer security expert at Sophos, has claimed almost all cases turn out to false, the MailOnline reports.
According to Mr Ducklin, opportunistic extortionists will often convince a person they have gained webcam access by giving private information that has actually just been gained through a data breach and leak.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.