Viruses, voyeurs and impersonators execute a ‘sick’ hack

A Perth mother reported a photo was taken of her 13-year-old daughter when the family computer became infected with malicious software, with the scammer posing as an officer of the Australian Federal Police.

The photo appeared in a fake pop-up warning, which claimed that the computer had been frozen by law enforcement authorities, and the victim was told to pay a fine to unlock it.

“The bogus message can be prompted by the user accessing illegal music and movie download sites or inputting certain words into search engines,” according to Adelaidenow.com.au, which identified the attackers as "sick hackers." 

ThreatWatch is a regularly updated catalog of data breaches successfully striking every sector of the globe, as reported by journalists, researchers and the victims themselves.