How to identify scam emails like "We Hacked Your System"

What kind of email is "We Hacked Your System"?

After reading this "We Hacked Your System" email, we determined that it is spam, specifically – a sextortion scam email. This message threatens to leak an explicit video of the recipient to their contacts unless the blackmailer is paid. It must be emphasized that all the claims in this message are false, and it poses no threat to the recipients.

"We Hacked Your System" email scam overview

This spam email claims that the sender has infected the recipient's device with a trojan. The nonexistent infection originated from a visit to a compromised pornographic website. The malware extracted a variety of sensitive data from the system and recorded the recipient (via the device's camera) as they were watching adult-oriented content.

Fifty hours are given to pay the sender 1300 USD in Bitcoin cryptocurrency. If the recipient refuses to meet these demands or discloses the contents of this email to others – the compromising footage and other private data will be sent to their email, social media, and messenger contacts.

As mentioned in the introduction, all the information in this letter is false – meaning that no devices were not infected, vulnerable information was not extracted, nor were any explicit recordings made of the recipient.

Victims who comply with the scammers' demands cannot recover their funds due to the practically untraceable nature of cryptocurrency transactions.

Sextortion campaign examples

We have written about numerous spam campaigns; "Your System Was Breached By Remote Desktop Protocol", "Operating System Fell To My Hacking Expertise", "Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp", and "I've Got Access To Your Smartphone" are merely a few of our articles on sextortion emails.

Various scams are promoted through spam mail, including phishing, technical support, refund, advance fee, etc. These emails are also used to proliferate all kinds of malware.

While the widely held belief that this mail is poorly put together and riddled with grammatical/spelling mistakes is not untrue, it is not always the case. Spam emails can be competently put together and even convincingly disguised as messages from legitimate entities.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns spread malware by distributing virulent files as attachments or download links. These files come in various formats, e.g., executables (.exe, .run, etc.), archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening a malicious file can be enough to trigger malware download/installation. However, some formats need extra interaction to jumpstart infection processes. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., editing/content), while OneNote documents need them to click on embedded links or files.

How to avoid installation of malware?

It is essential to exercise caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other messages. Attachments or links found in dubious/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be virulent.

However, malware is spread using various methods. Therefore, we recommend being careful while browsing since the Internet is full of deceptive and malicious content.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and verified sources. We advise activating and updating software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation ("cracking") tools and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is paramount to have a reputable anti-virus installed and kept up-to-date. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in "We Hacked Your System" spam email letter:

Consider this message as your last warning.

We hacked your system!

We have copied all the data from your device to our own servers.

Curious videos were recorded from your camera and your actions while watching porn.

Your device was infected with our virus when you visited the porn site.
The Trojan virus gives us full access, allows us to control your device.

The virus allows not only to see your screen, but also to turn on your camera, microphone, without your knowledge.
We took over the video from your screen and camera, then we mounted a video in which you can see you watching porn in one part of the screen and masturbating in the other.

But that's not all! We have access to all the contacts in your phone book and social networks.

It won't take us long to send this video to your friends, family and friends on social networks, messengers and email in minutes.

We have a lot of audio recordings of your personal conversations, where a lot of "interesting" things are revealed!

This information can destroy your reputation once and for all in a matter of minutes.
You have an opportunity to prevent irreversible consequences.

To do this:

Transfer 1300 $ USD (US dollars) to our bitcoin wallet.
Don't know how to make a transfer? Enter the query "Buy bitcoins" into the search field.

Our bitcoin wallet bc1qj2aesryeq0yhg6ntk4s8n2sssgtpde4a2jt5eq
After making the payment, your video and audio recordings will be completely destroyed and you can be 100% sure that we won't bother you again.

You have time to think about it and make the transfer - 50 hours!
After you read this letter, we will get an automatic notification. From that moment on, the timer will start.

It is useless to complain, because bitcoin-wallets cannot be tracked, as well as the mail from which the letter arrived to you.

We also do not advise you to send this letter to anybody.
In this case the system will automatically send a request to the server, and all data will be published in social networks and messengers.

You will not be able to solve the problem by changing passwords in social networks, as all the information is already downloaded to the cluster of our servers.

Think about what your reputation means to you and how much the consequences will be.
You have 50 hours.

Appearance of "We Hacked Your System" spam email (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "We Hacked Your System" sextortion scam?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Spam emails are not personal, even if they include details relevant to the recipients. This mail is distributed in mass-scale campaigns – therefore, thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) emails.

Was my computer actually hacked and does the sender have any information?

No, all the claims made by sextortion scam emails are false. Scammers have not infected recipients' devices, obtained any compromising information, nor recorded any explicit videos.

How did cyber criminals get my email password?

The most likely scenario is that your email credentials were obtained through a phishing scam (e.g., you entered them into a fake sign-in page, etc.). It is less likely that this data was obtained through a data breach on your end. While possible, it is highly unlikely that scammers acquired this information by compromising a service provider.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in this email, can I get my money back?

No, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible because of their nearly untraceable nature. Hence, victims of these types of scams cannot get their money back.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by a spam email, what should I do?

If you have provided your log-in credentials – immediately change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support. However, if you've disclosed other private information (e.g., passport photos/scans, ID card details, credit card numbers, etc.) – contact relevant authorities without delay.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No, reading an email does not pose an infection threat. Devices are infected when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

If the opened file was an executable (.exe, .run, etc.) – most likely, yes – the system was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .one, etc.). These formats may need additional interaction to begin downloading/installing malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing practically all known malware infections. Remember that performing a complete system scam is paramount since high-end malicious programs typically hide deep within systems.