online security
Passwords stolen from web portal
<p>Recently a website which provides e-mail service, kind of like gmail, but a smaller Estonian version of it got breached. The hackers got access to my e-mail and therefore all the accounts I have connected with this portal. They most likely stored the passwords in plain text, since I got some threat e-mails and they included my passwords in the threat e-mail to prove they have access to it.</p>

<p>They claim to have some video recorded from my laptop camera, and ask for bitcoin payment to not leak it. I call it a bluff and most likely they don't have anything.</p>

<p>Can I demand some compensation or even sue the company for having such a bad security layer on their portal? Or should I just accept it and move on?</p>

<p>Much of your ability to sue the email company for damages depends on local and Estonian laws, but the most important aspect is the TOS and user agreement you agreed to when you originally signed up for the service. Read it (though if the portal is now off-line, it may not be accessible). You may have agreed to hold the company not liable for any damages from loss or stolen data, and you may have also agreed to arbitration and to not pursue them in court. It all depends on what is (was) in that agreement, so find a copy of it; though it's possible that some local or Estonian laws may supersede any contractual agreement with the company.</p>

<p>And FYI, the email you received concerning the video and demanding payment in Bitcoin is a common scam right now, and the threat may indeed be meaningless.</p>
