FBI Warns Texas Gmail & Outlook Users of Cyber Threats

If you’re one of the millions of Texans who uses the popular Gmail or Outlook for your email accounts, there are new phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks you need to be aware of moving forward.

It seems like we hear about new scams all the time, but this warning is coming from the FBI so you know the threat is very real and these scamming techniques have worked on other people, this is all about making sure you don’t become the next victim.

New Ransomware Service Software

According to WFAA, government officials warned that a ransomware service software called Medusa which has been around since 2021 has recently affected hundreds of people.

Medusa most commonly uses phishing campaigns to steal credentials and other sensitive information.

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How to Protect Yourself and Your Information?

Officials recommend patching operating systems, software, and firmware.

Using multifactor authentication for all services including your normal email and VPNs are always best practices.

And don’t forget to use longer passwords that others would never know.

Medusa Makes Threats to Extort Money

Medusa developers “encrypt victim data and threaten to release the data if a ransom isn’t paid.”

Ransom demands are posted to their site with links to pay the ransom.

Victims can pay $10,000 in USD (cryptocurrency) to add a day to the countdown timer.

Since February there have been more than 300 victims across multiple industries including medical, education, legal, insurance, technology, and manufacturing.

Be very careful before you click on anything as it could cost you big money.