Comparitech researchers analyzed listings across 40+ dark web marketplaces gathering data on how much stolen identities, credit cards and hacked PayPal accounts are worth to cybercriminals. Kraken was the biggest of the Russian-language darknet markets when it came to hacked account details, with 10% of all listings globally. However, Kraken had a much narrower offering than the other big markets with largely just streaming and VPN accounts for sale and just 19 brands in total. Kingdom market, home to 14.5% of all hacked account listings, followed the top line trends more closely. However, it did skew more heavily towards streaming overall compared with other darknet markets, with 47% of its listings in this category. Hulu was more popular than average on this darknet market, with more of its accounts for sale than any other streaming service.
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Learning accounts were particularly concentrated in the Nemesis darknet market (43% of all such listings) but a good number were also to be found in the Kerberos (25%) and Kingdom (19%) darknet markets. For context, only 4 of the 15 markets we found to be selling stolen account details were Russian and one of those did not have any VPN credentials for sale at the time of our study. Two Russian streaming platforms, IVI and Amediateka, were among the top 5 most frequently-listed services, due to their significant presence in the Russian-language markets. Screenshot of listings for streaming account credentials on Nemesis darknet market. It should be noted that the number of individual account log-ins actually for sale on the darknet markets will be much higher than the number of listings we have identified. It is a hub for financial cybercrime and offers a wide range of illicit services and stolen data that cater to sophisticated cybercriminals.

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- The Bitdefender labs found offers of German driver’s licenses with an embedded NFC chip or identity cards for the offer price of 2.500 euros.
- These bundles of personal info are called “fullz“, short for “full credentials.” So instead of looking at the prices of SSNs on their own, Comparitech researchers analyzed the prices of fullz.
- The PayPal attack was carried out by using bots that automatically ran lists of credentials which they “stuffed” into the PayPal’s login portal.
- Torzon offers a premium account option for additional benefits and is valued at approximately $15 million, accepting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR).
- Any listings in currencies other than USD have been converted to USD in order to calculate average prices.
- This applies even when the information is needed for critical procedures, such as registering for Social Security or obtaining a new driver’s license.
Most stolen card details end up on the dark web marketplace for a quick profit, and this can happen before you even know about it. In addition to PayPal account balances, they can also transfer money from any connected bank accounts or credit cards. On top of all that, they could make purchases or request money from contacts listed in the PayPal account. Hijacking a PayPal account requires a different approach than stealing a credit card number.
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Malware can compromise systems running on various operating systems, including Microsoft Windows and Android. Once installed, it grants hackers full access to the machine’s capabilities. As a consequence of this, likely fewer crypto trading accounts and wallets were available for hackers to target.
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This means that those who obtain them will often have done so through phishing or malware attacks. As with credit cards, the location of the victim whose information is up for sale has a significant influence on price. Japan, the UAE, and Europe have the most expensive identities at an average of $25. Credit card details used for online fraud are cheaper and can be sent in a text message. Physical cards are usually cloned from details stolen online, but can be used to withdraw from ATMs. Because the merchant requires equipment to clone the card and must send the buyer a physical product complete with PIN number, the price for cloned cards is much higher.
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Another key difference was the popularity of ISP account details on Russian darknet markets compared to elsewhere. Not only were these credentials found for sale more commonly but they were worth significantly more with an average price of $408 compared with $15 on non-Russian darknet markets. On the Russian darknet markets, VPN account log-ins were the most popular stolen credentials for sale, accounting for almost 40% of all listings. Indeed, Russian sites played host to an outsize proportion of hacked VPN account details, with 43% of VPN credentials globally from three of 15 darknet markets.
The perpetrators offered a biometric passport of the European Union for up to 4.500 euros. Foss adds that the use of ransomware is also popular among retail-focused cybercriminals. “Ransomware attacks function by holding an organization’s data, systems, and individual devices hostage, demanding that the brand payout the required ransom,” he says.

Law Enforcement Action Had Little Effect On Supply And Prices

That merchant specifically mentioned that using a stolen card on a store that uses Verified by Visa (VBV) will likely void the card. Verified by Visa is a service that prompts the cardholder for a one-time password whenever their card is used at participating stores. Miklos has long-time experience in cybersecurity and data privacy having worked with international teams for more than 10 years in projects involving penetration testing, network security and cryptography. Unfortunately, the increasing availability of personal information on the Dark Web results in lower costs—and consequently, a higher likelihood—that your accounts will be compromised. There is no shortage of methods to get hacked, but there are just as many ways to defend against it.
US green cards, driving licenses, country visas, and insurance documents are all available for approximately $2000. If customers want to purchase documents for themselves, the Dark Web provides. Counterfeit documents, stolen IDs, and full identity papers are able to be purchased. Moreover, guides on how to cash out from these PayPal accounts in a way that does not alert the authorities is another bestseller item. Although these guides often cost a few cents, there was no guarantee to whether they would actually work. A quick guide for developers to automate mergers and acquisitions reports with Python and AI.
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Streaming and VPN services dominated the listings of hacked accounts for sale on the darknet markets, together accounting for 57% of all log-ins available for purchase. The recent real-world proliferation of streaming services was clearly reflected on the darknet markets, with stolen credentials for 150 different services identified. In conducting this research, we have assembled the world’s largest dataset of darknet market listings for hacked account details. We initially reviewed 27 darknet markets before excluding those that did not sell hacked log-ins.
- This is reason enough to have the best antivirus software installed on your devices and kept up to date.
- Number of listings refers to the total number of accounts identified, regardless of whether they are listed separately or together.
- Infostealers are often installed after users click on a malicious link or attachment that has malware embedded in it, then it works quietly in the background to funnel stolen information back to the attackers.
- Log-ins for everyday services like Netflix and Spotify primarily offer a route into potential identity theft, since it remains so common for people to reuse their passwords.
- While we found hacked accounts from 36 VPN services for sale, the five most popular brands accounted for over 74% of all listings.
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Wherever possible, set up email or text alerts to notify you of suspicious activity such as unexpected orders for a new bank card or if a threshold transaction amount has been reached. In addition to the above measures, frequently checking your credit/debit card activity can allow you to quickly notice fraud. They may mean the world to us and cause devestation when fraud takes place, but for traders in the Dark Web, your ID and financial accounts are just assets to sell. For many, their bank accounts are at the heart of their financial responsibilities. Actual or formally correct ID card numbers are among the most expensive goods on the dark web. The Bitdefender labs found offers of German driver’s licenses with an embedded NFC chip or identity cards for the offer price of 2.500 euros.
Social Security Numbers (SSNs) And Fullz
The researchers found that one seller was offering a verified PayPal account with a balance of $3,000 for $200. While card numbers are big business, access to accounts is also hot property. Renowned cryptocurrency trading platforms and wallets, such as LocalBitcoins, Kraken, and Coinbase, featured in dark web listings ranging from $90 to $250. These types of posts facilitate credential stuffing and enable any interested threat actor to carry out such attacks. The dark web is the number one digital resource cyber criminals turn to for tools and methods to launch cyberattacks, including credential stuffing.