Delilah blackmail bot

Discovered in 2016 by Gartner analyst Avivah Litan, Delilah was the first known 'insider' threat bot. Spread through downloads on multiple adult and gaming sites, the bot is said to gather sensitive information on the victim which can later be used for espionage, blackmail, and extortion.

Dubbed 'Delilah', the bot likely uses a combination of social engineering and automated ransomware to enable its operators to capture footage of victims through their webcams, which can then be used to extort the victim or convince them to carry out actions that would harm their employer. 

According to Litan, 'Once installed the hidden bot gathers enough personal information from the victim so that the individual can later be manipulated or extorted. This includes information on the victim's family and workplace.'

Research, advocacy 🧮

• Gartner (2016). Meet Delilah – the first Insider Threat Trojan

News, commentary, analysis 📰

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/3096250/delilah-malware-secretly-taps-webcam-blackmails-and-recruits-insider-threat-victims.html

• https://www.securityweek.com/new-trojan-helps-attackers-recruit-insiders/

• https://www.scmagazine.com/brief/delilah-trojan-seeks-company-weaknesses-through-insiders

• https://www.theregister.com/2016/07/18/first_insider_theft_extortion_trojan_found/

• https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-webcam-malware-could-blackmail-you-into-leaking-company-secrets/