Soon after Elon Musk bought X (previously Twitter) in 2022, he introduced paid verification where regular users could purchase blue ticks. Organisations can also verify themselves and get the gold check mark through a subscription basis every month. A report has now claimed that hackers are selling accounts with these gold ticks on the dark web.
CloudSEK reports that a strikingly similar series of advertisements for selling accounts with gold verification was also seen on Telegram channels. These indicate that “malicious campaigns are brooding on a large scale that requires a Twitter Gold account.”
“The advertisements on the dark web can be traced back to multiple online shops and their marketing partners, such as Facebook, Telegram, etc. Some X account providers have hosted their shops successfully for over four years and used the same medium to advertise Twitter Gold accounts,” the report notes.
The report also says that there are different price ranges offered for these accounts and Dark web forums have a list sheet. The prices range from $35 for a basic account to $2,000 for accounts with large followings.
They also have a dedicated social media accounts section where Facebook, Instagram, Yahoo, and TikTok accounts are sold, it added.
What is the danger
According to the report, hackers can use these gold accounts to send seemingly legitimate tweets containing malicious links. These links can be used that steal users’ personal information, such as login credentials and credit card numbers.
The accounts can also be used to spread false information and propaganda, which can potentially impact public opinion and/or cause reputational damage. Furthermore, hackers can also promote fake investment opportunities, cryptocurrency scams, and other financial frauds using these accounts, the report said.
Users are advised to be wary of unidentified accounts even if they have a blue or gold tick. Keep an eye for suspicious looking links and look for spelling mistakes or symbols in the URLs.
CloudSEK reports that a strikingly similar series of advertisements for selling accounts with gold verification was also seen on Telegram channels. These indicate that “malicious campaigns are brooding on a large scale that requires a Twitter Gold account.”
“The advertisements on the dark web can be traced back to multiple online shops and their marketing partners, such as Facebook, Telegram, etc. Some X account providers have hosted their shops successfully for over four years and used the same medium to advertise Twitter Gold accounts,” the report notes.
The report also says that there are different price ranges offered for these accounts and Dark web forums have a list sheet. The prices range from $35 for a basic account to $2,000 for accounts with large followings.
They also have a dedicated social media accounts section where Facebook, Instagram, Yahoo, and TikTok accounts are sold, it added.
What is the danger
According to the report, hackers can use these gold accounts to send seemingly legitimate tweets containing malicious links. These links can be used that steal users’ personal information, such as login credentials and credit card numbers.
The accounts can also be used to spread false information and propaganda, which can potentially impact public opinion and/or cause reputational damage. Furthermore, hackers can also promote fake investment opportunities, cryptocurrency scams, and other financial frauds using these accounts, the report said.
Users are advised to be wary of unidentified accounts even if they have a blue or gold tick. Keep an eye for suspicious looking links and look for spelling mistakes or symbols in the URLs.