Cyber crime sure does pay, according to a report at Intel Security blogs.mcafee.com. There’s a boom in cyber stores that specialize in selling stolen data. In fact, this is getting so big that different kinds of hot data are being packaged—kind of like going to the supermarket and seeing how different meats or cheeses are in their own separate packages.
Here are some packages available on the Dark Net:
- Credit/debit card data
- Stealth bank transfer services
- Bank account login credentials
- Enterprise network login credentials
- Online payment service login credentials
This list is not complete, either. McAfee Labs researchers did some digging and came up with some pricing.
The most in-demand type of data is probably credit/debit card, continues the blogs.mcafee.com report. The price goes up when more bits of sub-data come with the stolen data, such as the victim’s birthdate, SSN and bank account ID number. So for instance, let’s take U.S. prices:
- Basic: $5-$8
- With bank ID#: $15
- With “fullzinfo” (lots more info like account password and username): $30
- Prices in the U.K., Canada and Australia are higher across the board.
So if all you purchase is the “basic,” you have enough information to make online purchases—and can keep doing this until the card maxes out or the victim reports the unauthorized charges.
However, the “fullzinfo” will allow the thief to get into the account and change information, thwarting the victim’s attempts to get things resolved.
How much do bank login credentials cost?
- It depends on the balance.
- $2,200 balance: $190 for just the login information
- For the ability to transfer funds to U.S. banks: $500 to $1,200, depending on the balance.
Online premium content services offer a variety of services, and the login credentials to these are also for sale:
- Video streaming: $0.55 to $1
- Cable channel streaming: $7.50
- Professional sports streaming: $15
There are so many different kinds of accounts out there, such as hotel loyalty programs and auction. These, too, are up for sale on the underground Internet. Accounts such as these have the thief posing as the victim while carrying out online purchases.
Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.
