Current Events > Should I be concerned? (Ransomware-related.)

(+) Yeah! (+)

My wife got an email in her spam folder today on an old AOL account she barely uses anymore.

It says they know her password (it was an old password she uses for random websites), which is no big deal since it's nothing important, but then it states that they supposedly infected her computer with remote admin tools, because she visited a website where they "had their iFrame placed". Then it says if 'you don't believe me, go Google "drive-by exploit" '.

The password in the email, like I said, was an old one she doesn't use in many places anymore, but she did use it for Groupon, which recently told her there was suspicious activity on her account a few weeks ago and had her reset her password.

Obviously she reset all the websites left that use the password, but she's worried about it saying her PC has ransomware on it now.

I'm thinking it's just garbage since the password they have isn't the one she uses for Windows. So is it actually sleeping to get worked up over, or does it just sound like they randomly got her Groupon password from a breach, and that's all?
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Go to walmart and purchase as many gift cards as you can in preparation

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Nope.
What most likely happened is that password she used was used on a website that was breached and that's a spam email sent out in order to scam people.

Is the computer Windows, MacOS or Linux? (I ask so I can tell you what if anything to do just to set your mind at ease)
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Windows

And yeah that's what I figured. She's freaking out though. If be more concerned if the password was a Windows password but it's not.
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Ransomware locks up the computer till payment. If the computer isn't locked it isn't ransomware.

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Oh dude sorry forgot this topic

just scan with malware bytes and windows defender
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the guy is bluffing, probably he managed to figure out the AOL pw through whatever means and saw the current email listed as a recovery email.

if he actually had some kind of control on the computer he would do something, like other users said he could theoretically lock it down until there is payment or w/e.

the (wannabe) hacker's issue is that he has nothing to really bargain with besides being able to get into an unused AOL account. he cant hold your PC hostage (otherwise he would have already), he doesn't have any kind of sensitive info to use as collateral (i.e. "i turned on your webcam and have nudes of you"), so right now hes just bluffing and hoping your wife takes the bait.

id tell your wife to ignore him & change her PWs on accounts she currently uses
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Awesome! Thanks for your help, guys I appreciate it
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Awesome! Thanks so much for all your help guys
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I get that email as well. One of the sites she used probably got their database hacked, so they got that old password. Unless she's using it elsewhere as well, there's nothing to worry about.
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