Blackshades Lets Hackers Spy On You Via Your Webcam

It’s a pretty scary thought isn’t it?  But unfortunately that’s exactly what happened to Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf when a fellow college student used Blackshades malware to gain control of her laptop’s webcam and take nude photos of her. The hacker then compounded this gross invasion of privacy by demanding a ransom otherwise he would post the photo online. A very courageous Miss Wolf was not about to be blackmailed and instead reported the hacker to police and the FBI.

Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf demonstrated tremendous courage

As a result of Cassidy Wolf’s actions the scumbag suspect in her case, 20-year-old Jared James Abrahams, pleaded guilty last November and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Not only that, but the FBI and law enforcement officials in more than a dozen countries have made scores of arrests in cases involving Blackshades and for that I think we all owe Cassidy Wolf our thanks.  She was very courageous to have come forward knowing the publicity that would follow.

The simple to use $40 Blackshades control screen – total control of your PC

What is BlackShades?  It’s a malicious software program that allows hackers to take over a computer, steal personal information and even secretly turn on your webcam. Basically it’s a Remote Access Tool (RAT) used by IT professionals to fix problems when they can’t sit down in front of the computer itself. I’ve used some of these programs and, in fact, still use the Remote Access Tool TeamViewer to help fellow bloggers with computer problems but TeamViewer is completely safe to use..

Blackshades is allegedly owned by a 24-year-old Swedish citizen named Alex Yücel.  According to the FBI, Yücel and Michael Hogue​, a 23-year-old American co-developed Blackshades and were selling in online for only $40.  At that price, it’s no wonder so many creeps, perverts and criminal types bought it. Hogue was arrested in 2012 as part of the FBI’s investigation into Blackshades but not before they had raked in an estimated $350,000.

Malwarebytes is a great free tool to protect yourself from malicious malware

Right about now, I’m sure many of you may be wondering if this RAT is installed on your computer and, if so, how did it get there?  Let’s look at how it might get on your computer first. It’s the same old, same old – you probably unknowingly put it there yourself.  Here’s a few good security rules to abide by:

• Make sure you have updated antivirus software on your computer.
• Don’t open e-mail attachments in unsolicited e-mails, even if they come from people in your contact list, and never click on a URL contained in an e-mail, even if you think it looks safe. Instead, close out the e-mail and go to the organization’s website directly.
• Only download software—especially free software—from sites you know and trust (malware can also come in downloadable games, file-sharing programs, and customized toolbars).

Here’s a list of activities that could possibly indicate that your computer may be infected with Blackshades malware:

• Mouse cursor moves erratically with no input from user;
• Web camera light (if equipped) unexpectedly turns on when web camera is not in use;
• Monitor turns off while in use;
• Usernames and passwords for online accounts have been compromised;
• Unauthorized logins to bank accounts or unauthorized money transfers;
• Text-based chat window appears on your computer’s desktop unexpectedly;
• Computer files become encrypted and ransom demand is made to unlock files.

Blackshades malware affects Microsoft Windows-based operating systems. If you are concerned you may have a computer that is infected with this malware, search the computer’s hard drive for the following files that are known to be present on Blackshade-infected computers:

• dos_sock.bss
• nir_cmd.bss
• pws_cdk.bss
• pws_chro.bss
• pws_ff.bss
• pws_mail.bss
• pws_mess.bss

To perform the above check, click the Start menu and type each file name in the search field. In Windows 8.1 just go to the Start screen and start typing in the name of these files one by one.  If the search yields positive matches for one or more of these files, the computer may be infected with Blackshades.

My own computers came up blank for Blackshades.  I’d be shocked if anyone reading this were to find Blackshades on theirs either but if any of you do I’d sure like to hear about it.  My hunch is based on probabilities and my own experience with these widely publicized malware attacks. It’s still worth checking though as you don’t want to gamble based on my hunches.

Thanks for visiting.