A new report from Whizcase has detailed how much social media and entertainment accounts are currently fetching on the dark web.

LinkedIn and Gmail are the most expensive, with hackers targeting personal information, according to the new investigation.  

In a review spanning between January 2022 to September 2022, Whizcase analysed hacked social media, communication, and entertainment accounts to track pricing and trends.  

This follows another report by Privacy Affairs suggesting that the market for hacked digital information has grown between February 2021 and June 2022, with items diversifying and prices dropping overall. As well as social media and entertainment, the report details credit card and Paypal accounts being hacked, as well as cryptocurrency wallets. 

Whizcase’s recent report shows the trend of lower prices for social, communication, and entertainment accounts available across the dark web has continued, sparking concerns for businesses and independent users alike.  

Social Media  

Hacked social accounts were the most widely available across the dark web for sale, according to the study.  

While it appears most major social media sites were targeted, LinkedIn profile’s carry the largest price tag, averaging at $45 (US), at the time of writing.  

These likely find their value as a means of access to business networks as well as emails, phone numbers, and addresses for spams and scams.  

The more major personal social media accounts for sale, such as Facebook, Discord, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, all run for about the same price tag, ranging from $10-14.  

On the lower end of the price spectrum, Reddit, Pinterest, and TikTok accounts are less valuable according to the report, ranging from $6-9.  

Social media engagement was also being sold – 1,000 retweets from hacked accounts cost $25. 1,000 Facebook likes? Only $8. 

Hackers often create ‘bot farms’ from fake accounts, but using real hacked accounts provide bad actors with a level of authenticity that is more difficult for consumers to spot. 

This not only means likes and retweets from larger accounts may be automated, but it also makes phishing attempts less transparent.   

Communication Tools  

Gmail accounts were the most expensive of these, with an account costing $45. 

This constitutes a fairly major dip in price, as previously, accounts were reported to cost around $65, according to Privacy Affairs. 

There was no data on whether this differed between personal or professional accounts, but as many businesses use Gmail, the higher price tag matches the potentially higher valued information. 

WhatsApp was the most expensive messaging service at $18 for a hacked account, with Telegram and Skype ringing in at around half that price or even less.  

These accounts can allow buyers to log in to other personal accounts and change passwords, locking out the original users. This is especially concerning for financial accounts or accounts with linked payment details.  

Entertainment Accounts 

While subscription streaming sites continually raise their prices, a Netflix account on the dark web currently costs $12, down from $25, as previously reported.  

All annual subscriptions to major entertainment sites – Apple Music, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Twitch, Hulu, Spotify, and Soundcloud – currently cost buyers $100 on the dark web for annual access.  

Targeted phishing campaigns are the most common method to hack into these accounts, which original users are locked out of.  

Payments can only be stopped by cancelling the card used for payments directly, as original users are blocked from their own accounts by a simple password change.  

Why Would Someone Want Your Data? 

Accounts do not seem to be personally targeted, but are more vulnerable for a number of reasons.  

A combination of more public personal information and less stringent privacy settings make certain profiles more easily targeted.  

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Spreading misinformation, targeting consumers with fake charity pleas, or even quizzes to get more information to hack into other accounts are some of the many reasons people will purchase these profiles.  

Identify theft is another major pull to cybercriminals, as many sites enable access to payment methods and the creation of personal documents.  

Keeping your Accounts Safe 

Whizcase had several recommendations accompanying their review to avoid being targeted by hackers.   

Among these was providing more general information. Birthdays and cities were too personal, according to Whizcase.  

Setting all accounts to the strictest privacy settings may seem counterintuitive and many media giants are meant to be ultra-social and geared toward engagement, but this is likely the best way to ensure your personal information is secure.  

Only accepting follow or friend requests from people you know and logging out of social media on publicly used devices was also advised, and this old wisdom may make the difference to keep your account safe from hackers.  

The overall study shows the dramatically changing market – an increased supply matched by drastically lower prices – making it all the more necessary to take precautions with personal and professional data.