Sextortion.

Extortion based on the threat to publish or share intimate images, real or fabricated, unless the victim pays money or complies with further demands. It belongs to the Attacks & Threats category of cybersecurity.

Extortion based on the threat to publish or share intimate images, real or fabricated, unless the victim pays money or complies with further demands.

Sextortion is a form of coercion in which an attacker threatens to release sexual or compromising material to coerce payment, additional explicit content, or other actions. Tactics include compromising a victim's account or device to steal real images, grooming and luring on dating or social platforms, manipulating people on webcams, and bulk "fake" email campaigns claiming malware on the device and presenting an old leaked password as proof. Increasingly, attackers use AI-generated deepfake imagery to threaten people who have never produced intimate content. Mitigations include strong account hygiene (MFA, unique passwords), webcam covers, caution with strangers online, refusing to pay, preserving evidence, and reporting to platforms and law enforcement; specialist support hotlines exist for minors and adult victims.

Defences for Sextortion typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.

Common alternative names include: Webcam extortion, Intimate-image blackmail.