Information has its value: In a report, Bitdefender has determined which market prices apply to personal information and documents on the dark web. A German identity card is available from as little as 2.500 euros. Facebook and LinkedIn access are available as cheap goods.
The dark web is a large exchange for selling personal information. Many of the offers aimed at criminals are themselves fraudulent. But information has its market price. In a recent report, Bitdefender Labs documented what some digital identity assets are worth. Personal documents are the most expensive. Access data for social media accounts such as Facebook or LinkedIn, on the other hand, are available in millions for as little as 20 US dollars. The following examples of real offers give an outlook on the values currently being traded on the Darknet market:
1. Personal documents at the top
🔎 Darknet: Offer of a German identity card for 2.500 euros (Image: Bitdefender).
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. The perpetrators offered a biometric passport of the European Union for up to 4.500 euros.
2. Guaranteed credit cards
Cloned and stolen credit cards or user data, which criminals have skimmed, are offered by the sellers in commercial-looking offers. At low prices and with a high credit limit.
3. No guarantee for financial service providers
User accounts from online payment services such as Paypal or Western Union are at the top of the criminals' list of priorities. Prices fluctuate with supply and demand and can therefore be very low. However, some providers do not guarantee that the accounts for the financial services are actually accessible.
4. Cryptocurrency Accounts
🔎 Paypal accounts are also cheap on the dark web (Image: Bitdefender).
Access to crypto funds from third parties is gained through their access data. A scammer's profit margin can be very high. With some offers, the access data are verified – at least according to the offer. The SIM card data is also sold.
5. Credentials for social media accounts or followers
Users looking for access data for social media offers will find little money for a lot of data. Buying multi-million dollar LinkedIn and Facebook data is done for as little as $20 in cryptocurrency. 50.000 Instagram followers cost 250 US dollars. 1,3 million private keys from crypto wallet provider Ledger are available for $199,99.
Has your password already ended up on the dark web?
🔎 Facebook and LinkedIn access are already cheap goods on the dark web (image: Bitdefender).
Today's digitized end user must assume that sooner or later his data will be disclosed or known to someone else. In addition to special tools for finding out whether passwords have been disclosed or solutions for protecting digital identities, great care is required when walking through the digital world. Each user should follow and be aware of any news or reports of privacy incidents on the Services. Debit or credit card transactions must be closely monitored. In an emergency, one thing counts above all: a quick conversation with the bank.
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