With 2019 ramping up, we’ve come across another popular email scam that is circulating around the web. Several clients have contacted us wondering if this email is legitimate or not, and how can steps be taken to prevent future hacks?

Below is a sample of the email text:

Hi, this account is infected! Modify the pswd this time!

You probably do not know me me and you obviously are definitely wanting to know why you’re getting this email, right?

I’m ahacker who crackedyour emailand devices and gadgetsa few months ago

The email proceeds to suggest all your passwords have been taken, and $1000USD (transferred into bitcoin) sent to an address will unlock your passwords, email accounts or other personal data. Although Ransomware emails do happen, it’s safe to assume the majority of these emails are scams.

You can prevent unwanted access by using a secure password, or enabling two factor authentication on your emails.

Two-factor authentication (also known as 2FA) is a type, or subset, of multi-factor authentication. It is a method of confirming users’ claimed identities by using a combination of two different factors: 1) something they know, 2) something they have, or 3) something they are.

The most common type of two-factor authentication is providing a text message code when logging into your email. This provides an extra layer of protection beyond your password. You can setup two-factor authentication on google, apple and facebook. If you are hosting with 368 Durham, contact us today and we would be happy to setup two-factor authentication on your account.  

As always, play it safe, and secure your email accounts.