Hacked facebook accounts are sold on underground black markets on the darknet for between $ 3 and $ 12.
Hacked Facebook accounts are sold on the darknet, demonstrating the value of such accounts after the social network discovered that 50 million of its users had been compromised in a major hack.
Dozens of lists crawled in clandestine markets on the darknet – a section of the Internet accessible only with special software – offer buyers the personal data of Facebook users for as little as $ 3.
Security experts warn that if used by hackers, the data could be used to steal personal data or blackmail Facebook users with compromising information.
Lists are available on popular dark web sites. The sellers of Facebook credentials tend to be highly trusted, which indicates the authenticity of the data.
Hacked accounts sell for between $ 3 and $ 12, although they can only be bought with semi-anonymous digital currencies like bitcoins.
“There are several ways to better understand someone’s life than their social media accounts,” the report says. “This data is often stolen for sale to companies that are not too shy about targeted advertising. It’s also a fast track to identity theft, as it can take control of your accounts, block you and cause serious reputational damage in a short amount of time. ”
The prices show the value that hacked accounts can have on the darknet after Facebook admitted that some accounts could have been hacked due to a major bug in its code.
In a blog post detailing the hack, Facebook VP of Product Management Guy Rosen said his company did not know who might be behind the attack, or even if any of the affected accounts were actually hacked. …
“Since we have just begun our investigation, we have yet to determine if these accounts have been misused or if any information has been accessed,” Mr. Rosen wrote.
“We also do not know who is behind these attacks and where they are based. We are working hard to better understand these details – and we will update this post when we have more information or if the facts change. ”
Facebook could be liable for fines of up to $ 1.63 billion – 4 percent of its annual global revenue – under the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) if it is judged that the company has not done enough to protect the safety of its users. …
A Facebook spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on darknet lists.