THE MIND OF THE CYBERCRIMINAL
To the mind of the cybercriminal, 2 factors underpin their operation – identity theft and making money. To do these things, they will go to virtually any length to get their hands on your precious data and personal information. You can get scammed by fake ads, phishing emails, malicious downloads, and much more – whatever it takes for a hacker to achieve their MO. Remember, the mind of the cybercriminal is not kind.
NOT ALL DATA HAS THE SAME VALUE
The actual value of data fluctuates, depending on what a cybercriminal can do with it and how much of it there is. As a traded commodity, personal information is considered to be particularly valuable if one set of data can be linked to another account, enabling a hacker to truly have a field day.
THE MOST WANTED?
Some say that your credit card ranks as the ‘most wanted’ of all your data assets. With it, a cybercrook can easily go on a massive online shopping spree and you have to foot the bill. The thing is that genuine and secure e-commerce platforms are becoming much more resilient to cybercrime, using two-factor authentication and using text message OTP (One Time Password) checks. To get hold of your identity, trade it, and cash in, hackers are finding other accounts to steal.
SOME DATA IS REALLY VALUABLE
Stolen personal data is a major currency on the Dark Web. Cybercriminals access visit numerous message boards or forums on the Dark Web to barter or sell private information. Like any commodity, the more data they have, and the greater its value, the more money they stand to make. As determined by the Dark Web Price Index, here are 10 of the most valuable online accounts for cybercriminal activity:
| Account | Value |
| A hacked Facebook account | $65 |
| An Instagram account | $45 |
| A hacked Twitter account | $35 |
| A hacked Gmail account | $80 |
| A PayPal account with a $1,000 balance | $120 |
| Verified LocalBitcoins account | $350 |
| Blockchain.com verified account | $310 |
| 1 year Netflix subscription account | $44 |
| Adobe Creative Cloud annual account | $160 |
| eBay account with 1,000+ positive reviews | $1,000 |
While $65 for hacking a single Facebook account may seem like peanuts, cybercriminals don’t hack one account at the time, but 100s or 1,000s. How much are 1,000 Facebook accounts worth on the Dark Web? You do the math.
ZHERO – YOUR CYBERSECURITY EXPERT
Zhero specializes in cybersecurity and risk mitigation to keep your business and personal data safe and secure. We also provide professional and expert training on sound cybersecurity practices for your executive team and employees. Don’t let your data fall into the wrong hands. You can beat the cybercriminal mind. Contact us today!
