Gaining illicit access to a user account can be quite profitable for malicious actors because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing them to sell these log in credentials on the dark web. However, the price at which this stolen data is sold is shockingly low. A new report from Whizcase showed that some hacked accounts were being sold for as little as $6 with all things having been considered and taken into account.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that only Reddit accounts were being sold for such a low sum total. TikTok accounts were the second cheapest, with the going rate being around $8 on average. Following that we have Pinterest accounts with $9, Twitter accounts for $10, and Snapchat for $11. Facebook, Discord and Instagram accounts were also quite cheap, with Facebook going for $14 and Discord and Instagram accounts on sale for $12 apiece.
Interestingly, LinkedIn accounts are far more expensive, with an average sale price of around $45. That might be due to the high end clientele that uses LinkedIn which makes stolen accounts more valuable than might have been the case otherwise. All of this might make one wonder how a malicious actor can make a living if stolen log in details are so cheap, but it should be mentioned that they don’t usually sell individual accounts. Instead, they sell these accounts in bulk.
Other malicious actors are more than happy to avail these cheap prices so that they can create bot farms to generate artificial clicks on social media sites. One can purchase 1,000 retweets from accounts that appear to be legitimate for just $25, so this is an industry that has clearly managed to optimize its sale prices and bring them to rock bottom.
1,000 Facebook likes are even cheaper, going for an average of $8. Facebook is a much more popular platform, but its easier to create and maintain fake profiles on it which is why the cost is so low. These are some of the lower end ways in which stolen accounts can be used, and there are far more nefarious purposes that they can be utilized for such as breaking into the inner circles of companies and their upper management.
Hackers can also use these accounts to commit identity fraud, often by posing as the owner of the account and asking for money from someone who is close to where they live. Users should be cautious about engaging with money requests in case they come from hackers.
Read next: Minorities Concluded That Travel Apps Don't Help When Changing Plans
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that only Reddit accounts were being sold for such a low sum total. TikTok accounts were the second cheapest, with the going rate being around $8 on average. Following that we have Pinterest accounts with $9, Twitter accounts for $10, and Snapchat for $11. Facebook, Discord and Instagram accounts were also quite cheap, with Facebook going for $14 and Discord and Instagram accounts on sale for $12 apiece.
Interestingly, LinkedIn accounts are far more expensive, with an average sale price of around $45. That might be due to the high end clientele that uses LinkedIn which makes stolen accounts more valuable than might have been the case otherwise. All of this might make one wonder how a malicious actor can make a living if stolen log in details are so cheap, but it should be mentioned that they don’t usually sell individual accounts. Instead, they sell these accounts in bulk.
Other malicious actors are more than happy to avail these cheap prices so that they can create bot farms to generate artificial clicks on social media sites. One can purchase 1,000 retweets from accounts that appear to be legitimate for just $25, so this is an industry that has clearly managed to optimize its sale prices and bring them to rock bottom.
1,000 Facebook likes are even cheaper, going for an average of $8. Facebook is a much more popular platform, but its easier to create and maintain fake profiles on it which is why the cost is so low. These are some of the lower end ways in which stolen accounts can be used, and there are far more nefarious purposes that they can be utilized for such as breaking into the inner circles of companies and their upper management.
Hackers can also use these accounts to commit identity fraud, often by posing as the owner of the account and asking for money from someone who is close to where they live. Users should be cautious about engaging with money requests in case they come from hackers.
Read next: Minorities Concluded That Travel Apps Don't Help When Changing Plans
