Darknet hackers are selling crypto accounts for as low as $30 a pop
Prices of hacked cryptocurrency accounts still fetch the highest prices among hacked online accounts, according to online data security provider Privacy Affairs.
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Cybercriminals from the darkest parts of the internet are reportedly selling hacked, verified crypto accounts on the darknet for as low as just $30 apiece.
According to an April 24 research paper by online data security provider Privacy Affairs — titled The Dark Web Price Index, cybercriminals have been selling all manner of fraudulently obtained financial account information on the dark web.
— Privacy Affairs (@Privacy_Affairs) April 23, 2023
The prices of some of the ill-gotten verified cryptocurrency accounts include:
- Kraken verified account: $1,170
- Binance verified account: $410
- Crypto.com verified account: $300
- Coinbase verified account: $250
- U.S.-verified Bitrex account: $30
These figures mark a significant increase in the prices paid for the same account details in 2022, according to data from last year’s edition of the Dark Web Price Index. In 2022, hackers were paying just $260 and $250 for verified Kraken and Binance accounts respectively.
Hacked accounts can be used to illegally evade know-your-customer (KYC) measures on popular cryptocurrency exchanges.
Cryptocurrency accounts aren’t the only items on the list. Account information for credit cards with balances of up to $5,000 are sold for just $110 while login credentials for online bank accounts with balances of up to $2,000 are sold for $60.
Login details for all manner of social media accounts are also up for grabs, including hacked Facebook, Airbnb and Gmail accounts, starting as low as $25 a pop.
In a statement concerning these shocking new figures, Privacy Affairs security researcher Miklos Zoltan said that internet users must be more cautious with their personal information than ever before.
“If someone gets their hands on your financial details or social media credentials, the prices mentioned above are basically what it’s worth to them.,” Zoltan explained.
“There’s a good chance that you value these things much more than they do, as to them you’re just another mark for a quick buck.”
Related: YouTube helps recover hacked channel that attempted XRP crypto scams
The hacking of accounts at popular crypto exchanges has been a growing problem in the industry.
Recently, a customer of U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase filed a lawsuit against the company following an attack on his account.
He claimed to have lost “90% of his life savings” after he fell victim to a nefarious hack known as a “SIM swap” — where scammers gain control of a phone number by tricking the telecommunications provider into linking the number to their own SIM card.
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