{"id":12716,"date":"2016-08-02T18:18:29","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T22:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=12716"},"modified":"2017-09-24T08:04:15","modified_gmt":"2017-09-24T12:04:15","slug":"sextortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/sextortion\/12716\/","title":{"rendered":"Sextortion: A threat for everybody, teenagers in particular"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Blackmail is a crime as old as time, and modern technology has helped it \u2014 like so many other things \u2014 explode. Criminals relieve their victims of money in a great variety of ways, but hacking communications such as text messages and webcams brings ruthless efficiency to a highly personal type of crime called <i>sextortion<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12721 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2016\/08\/06021752\/2016-08-03-sextortion-1.jpg\" alt=\"Sextortion: A threat for everybody, teenagers in particular\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1680\"><\/p>\n<p>Sextortion, or sexual blackmail, consists of a threat to reveal intimate information about a victim unless the victim pays money to the extorter. In this connected, digital age, the information might include snippets of sexual text messages (sexts), intimate photos, even videos. The crooks typically demand money, but sometimes they\u2019re after more compromising material \u2014 send more or I\u2019ll expose you.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most interesting thing about sextortion is that the vast majority of victims are teenagers \u2014 not a demographic known for having a lot of money to throw around. But teens do make excellent victims for sextortion.<\/p>\n<p>The teenage years are a time for figuring out how to find and cultivate new kinds of relationships \u2014 and generally without a reliable road map. Teens are also beginning to forge their own paths and question authority, but they have yet to develop an adult\u2019s understanding of consequences.<\/p>\n<p>The result can be a cybercriminal\u2019s dream: Lots of information that should be kept extremely secure but isn\u2019t, belonging to people who are emotionally vulnerable and easily shamed. Perhaps that is why an estimated 70% of the victims are teenagers. Most victims are female, as well, although being a male adult is no protection.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Securing intimate activities: Don\u2019t let your spicy stories leak online \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/He4AOM43ur\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/He4AOM43ur<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/privacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#privacy<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/s9xz7k1fdS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/s9xz7k1fdS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/639434049052913664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">September 3, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The perpetrators may hack accounts or try worming their way into a potential victim\u2019s favor and get her to send incriminating material directly. The next step is threatening to make the info public.<\/p>\n<p>Victims obey. They are often ashamed and afraid of public condemnation, and asking for help means revealing secrets they are desperate to keep. And teens are very vulnerable. Sextortion can lead to serious psychological trauma or even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/true-crime\/wp\/2016\/05\/10\/sextortion-growing-online-problem-worldwide-victimizes-two-george-mason-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">suicide attempts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As with so many issues affecting teenagers, communication is key, and communication may present a challenge. However, it is also a technological problem, and we have some tips that can help keep you and your teenager safe.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yet another reason you should put some tape over your webcam <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aWULG4gxU8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/aWULG4gxU8<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/scary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#scary<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/reality?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#reality<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#TV<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ob4reqq2E9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/ob4reqq2E9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/725818193357459457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">April 28, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Protect yourself and your kids from sextortion<\/h3>\n<p>1. Understand that anything you share online can be made public, and explain that point to your teen. It could be published by hackers or the trusted recipient \u2014 or someone who hacked the trusted recipient\u2019s computer or phone \u2014 once something is online it is sharable. Chatting with strangers amps up the risk, but generally, consider anything you send online public and readable by everyone from your best friend to your teachers to your grandparents.<\/p>\n<p>2. Practice good cybersecurity. Use <a href=\"https:\/\/password.kaspersky.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">strong passwords<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/what_is_two_factor_authentication\/5036\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">two-factor authentication<\/a> to help protect your social networks, messaging programs, and e-mail. Always run up-to-date security software. Note that <a href=\"https:\/\/store.kaspersky.com\/store\/kaspersk\/en_IE\/buy\/productID.320853100\/quantity.1\/Currency.USD?cid=gl_socmed_pro_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_lnk____kismd___&amp;affiliate=gl_socmed_pro_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_lnk____kismd___&amp;_ga=1.215143252.2111903088.1454935021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kaspersky Internet Security<\/a> protects your webcam from unauthorized access.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We've got your cam covered. No tape required <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l4CXrJxxiw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/l4CXrJxxiw<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J5dvn6bwSJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/J5dvn6bwSJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/746021079685136389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">June 23, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>3. Stay alert and learn about new threats. Crimes such as sextortion are everybody\u2019s problem. Share information about threats \u2014 forewarned is forearmed.<\/p>\n<p>4. Talk to your kids about Internet scams and cybercriminals. Yes, it can be hard to speak about sex and sextortion with your kids, but they need to know. Find out how their school handles cybersecurity and cybersafety education \u2014 perhaps they have some helpful materials about discussing this issue at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is sextortion, and how can we protect ourselves and our children? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":12720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2683],"tags":[1750,288,89,1751,1748,797,1749,342],"class_list":{"0":"post-12716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-threats","9":"tag-blackmail","10":"tag-children","11":"tag-kids","12":"tag-photos","13":"tag-sexting","14":"tag-sextortion","15":"tag-spy","16":"tag-webcams"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/sextortion\/12716\/"},{"hreflang":"ar","url":"https:\/\/me.kaspersky.com\/blog\/sextortion\/3879\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/sextortion\/7476\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/sextortion\/7497\/"},{"hreflang":"it","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.it\/blog\/sextortion\/8707\/"},{"hreflang":"tr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.tr\/blog\/sextortion\/2326\/"},{"hreflang":"fr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.fr\/blog\/sextortion\/5942\/"},{"hreflang":"pt-br","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.br\/blog\/sextortion\/6453\/"},{"hreflang":"pl","url":"https:\/\/plblog.kaspersky.com\/sextortion\/5213\/"},{"hreflang":"ja","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.co.jp\/sextortion\/12168\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/sextortion\/12716\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/sextortion\/12716\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/tag\/blackmail\/","name":"blackmail"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18798,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12716\/revisions\/18798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}