FBI warns of rising sextortion attacks targeting social media users

The FBI is warning that cybercriminals are hacking into social media accounts of adults and children to steal intimate explicit images and videos, leading to extortion and online publication of the content, based on information published by TechCrunch.

Perpetrators are largely using social engineering tactics, brute-forcing accounts with leaked passwords, impersonating social media customer service, and employing phishing emails with fake login pages. Victims often face re-victimization through harassment, sextortion, stalking, and advertising of their stolen content. These attacks, particularly targeting young boys, are considered a significant public health issue, with some victims driven to self-harm.

To protect against these threats, the FBI advises using unique passwords managed by a password manager, enabling multi-factor authentication, and being wary of unsolicited contact from individuals claiming to represent social media companies, as legitimate companies typically do not reach out to customers in this manner. Additionally, users are urged to avoid storing sensitive or intimate pictures in online accounts.

Source: TechCrunch