A new extortion scam campaign is underway that is targeting websites owners and stating that if they do not make a payment, the attacker will ruin their site’s reputation and get them blacklisted for spam.
A new #extortion scam campaign is underway that is targeting websites owners and stating that if they do not make a payment, the attacker will ruin their site's reputation and get them blacklisted for spam https://t.co/bMgpwyfUkB
— Alexander Anoufriev (@anoufriev) June 10, 2019
Ilia Kolochenko, Founder and CEO at ImmuniWeb:
Nonetheless, websites owners should not panic. Proper execution of the threats will inevitably require the attackers to invest their own money into spam mailings and other malicious activities. Most likely such threats will rarely be executed unless attackers have a very specific reason to do so. Moreover, such smear campaigns services have existed for a while already. More sophisticated cyber gangs will even place malware on your website and send the links to all your customers and partners to create irreparable damage to business reputation.
To prevent damage, there are several things to do. First of all, website owners should check their website security and presence on any blacklists – at ImmuniWeb we offer a free website security test for this. Second, check your SSL/TLS encryption and SSL certificate – some blacklists and Google may consider them when evaluating your website reputation and therefore chances to get banned as a “scam”. Last, but not least, immediately notify your hosting provider and domain registrar about such threats and also file a complaint to your local law enforcement agency.”