Do not trust the "You have 46 Hours in order to make the payment" email

What is "You have 46 Hours in order to make the payment"?

"You have 46 Hours to make the payment" is a scam email. It uses the sextortion scam model, by which scammers claim that they have obtained compromising material of the user (i.e., evidence of sexual activity) and threaten to publicize it unless a specified sum is paid. All claims made by this message are false, and therefore you should ignore these emails.

The "You have 46 Hours to make the payment" message claims that it was sent by a hacker who supposedly gained access to the recipient's system and infected it with malware. The nonexistent infection has apparently originated from an adult-themed website, which the email states users have recently visited.

While the recipient was viewing the content of the adult site, the scammers allege that they had recorded the device's screen and used its web-camera to record the recipient. Additionally, the malicious software has exfiltrated various files (e.g. private documents, videos, photos, etc.) and the user's contact lists.

The created and stolen data has apparently been uploaded to a remote sever, and therefore using security services, reformatting the disk or destroying the device itself are of no use.

The message threatens that the recordings (split into two screens with one part displaying the content that was viewed at the time, and the other, footage of the user) will be sent to the contacts (e.g. relatives, coworkers, etc.) unless the recipient pays 500 USD in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

The email informs users that they have 46 hours from opening the message to pay the ransom. If payment is made, the fake compromising material will be deleted.

Note that you should not respond to these requests. If users reply with the word "yes", the scammers claim that will send videos to six of the contacts. The "You have 46 Hours to make the payment" email is simply a scam and all statements are bogus. Therefore, ignore this email and any others that make similar threats.

Threat Summary:

Name	You have 46 Hours in order to make the payment Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud.
Fake Claim	The scammers claim that they have made a compromising video of the recipient and this will be sent to all contacts, unless a specific sum is paid within a given time frame.
Ransom Amount	500 USD in Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
Cyber Criminal Cryptowallet Address	1KxcLRkaN9hfx3dZWurCNKbKhYsHzxa7xR (Bitcoin)
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

"Sextortion Email (Dash)", "Я Прôгрaммиcт, Кoтôрый Взлôмaл 0с Вaшeгô Уcтрôйcтвa", and "On this day I hacked your OS" are some examples of other email scams similar to "You have 46 Hours to make the payment". These deceptive messages are distributed using large scale spam campaigns.

This mail is usually disguised as "official", "urgent", "important", "urgent" and so on. There are various scam models used for nefarious purposes, not just sextortion.

The only purpose of such schemes is to generate revenue for the individuals behind them, however, blackmail and ransoms is just one method used. Scam emails can also be used to infect recipients' devices with trojans, ransomware and other malicious software.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns cause infections via dangerous files present in deceptive/scam emails. These files can be attached to this mail or linked inside (i.e., the messages contain download links). Infectious files can appear in various formats such as Microsoft Office and PDF documents, archive (ZIP, RAR) and executable (.exe, .run) files, JavaScript and many others.

When these malicious files are executed, run or otherwise opened, the infection process begins (they start downloading/installing malware).

For example, MS Office documents infect systems through macro commands. Upon opening, these documents request users to enable macro commands (i.e., to enable editing) - the infection is then triggered. In Microsoft Office versions released before 2010, this process begins automatically.

How to avoid installation of malware

Do not open suspicious or irrelevant emails, especially those received from suspect/unknown (senders) addresses. Any attachments or links found in dubious messages must never be opened, as this can result in an infection.

You are advised to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010, as these have "Protected View" mode, which prevents malicious documents from starting the infection process upon opening. Spam campaigns are not the only way that malware proliferates.

It also proliferates via untrusted download sources, illegal activation tools ("cracks") and fake updaters. Therefore, use official and verified download channels. Software should be activated and updated with tools/functions provided be legitimate developers.

To ensure device integrity and user safety, have reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware installed and kept up to date. Use this software for regular system scans and removal of detected threats/issues. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "You have 46 Hours in order to make the payment" email message:

Subject: You have 46 Hours in order to make the payment

 

FINAL WARNING!

You have 46 Hours in order to make the payment. (I have a Facebook pixel in this email, and at this moment I know that you have read through this email message). If I do not get the Bitcoin, I will certainly send out your files and video recording to all your contacts including relatives, coworkers and all contacts. Having said that, if I receive the payment, I'll destroy all files and videos immediately. If you need evidence, reply with "Yes" and I will certainly send out your video recording to your 6 contacts. It is a non-negotiable offer, Don't waste my personal time and your by responding to this message.

I'm a Hacker who cracked your devices. I set up a malware on the adult video (p0rn) website and guess what, you visited this site to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were watching videos, your internet browser started out functioning as an "HRDP" Hidden Remote Desktop Protocol which gave me accessibility to your screen and web camera. After that, my software program obtained all your contacts and files.

What did I do?
I generated a backup of your every system (private document files, video, photos, all files). I created a double-screen video. 1st part shows the video you were watching (you've got a good taste hahaha), and 2nd part shows the recording of your webcam. All your data is already uploaded to a remote server. Do not try to contact me. Various security services will not help you; formatting a disk or destroying a device will not help either since your data is already on a remote server.

Exactly what should you do?
Well, in my opinion, 500 (USD) Dollars is a fair price for our little secret. You'll make the payment by Bitcoin (search "Bitcoin Wallet" in Application Store then Download and Install it) Make a deposit to your wallet. After that, transfer it to my wallet.
My Bitcoin (BTC) wallet address:  1KxcLRkaN9hfx3dZWurCNKbKhYsHzxa7xR

(It is case sensitive, Bitcoin wallet address Beginning with 1 and ending with R).

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Quick menu:

• What is You Have 46 Hours In Order To Make The Payment spam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

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