Monster.com hacked...Hackers Hold Monster.com Users' Files Hostage

[jazz lady]

Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in the U.S., have been exposed to the risk of file ransom after the Web site of the world's largest online recruiter was hacked.

Personal details stored on Monster.com, a Web site that lists job seekers and job opportunities, were taken after a raid by hackers who posed as employers to gain access to the site.

Having stolen the information, hackers e-mailed the victims claiming to have infected their computers with a virus and threatening to delete files unless demands for payment were met.

In all, more than 1.6 million entries in Monster's system — belonging to "several hundred thousand" members — were taken after the hackers logged in using the details of employers who routinely scour the site for prospective workers, according to the Silicon Valley security firm Symantec.

The information, which included first and last names, e-mail and home addresses and phone numbers, was then used to send "phishing" e-mails to members, apparently from Monster.com, encouraging them to download a tool known as "Monster Job Seeker."

The tool was in fact a malicious program known as a "Trojan," as in Trojan horse, which encrypted files on the victims' machines, making them inaccessible to the computer owner.

A message was left requesting that money be paid to the attackers before the files — which could include photos and other personal documents — would be decrypted.

Prepare to be spammed...or worse.

 

[mv_princess]

that's not good

 

[Softballkid]

And to think, I was just about to start an account on there, I was just tlaking to a guy at work about it


Guess Ill wait to do it now

 

[jazz lady]

that's not good

No, it's not. I don't know if it's related, but I was wondering why my yahoo email account suddenly had 36 emails in the bulk/spam folder yesterday when at most it has a couple per day. Quite a few seem to be claiming I registered for some web site and need to confirm that I did in fact sign up. The link to click on in the email is using just the IP address, so that is a BIG red flag right there.

 

[Roberta]

No, it's not. I don't know if it's related, but I was wondering why my yahoo email account suddenly had 36 emails in the bulk/spam folder yesterday when at most it has a couple per day. Quite a few seem to be claiming I registered for some web site and need to confirm that I did in fact sign up. The link to click on in the email is using just the IP address, so that is a BIG red flag right there.

I got one of thoses emails yesterday, just deleted it.

 

[jazz lady]

I got one of thoses emails yesterday, just deleted it.

There were 7 or 8 of them yesterday, plus another one today so far. I just deleted the whole lot.

 

[rack'm]

Maybe they can find me a job with my information.....