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CYBERCRIMINALS FLOOD DARK WEB WITH X (TWITTER) GOLD ACCOUNTSCYBERCRIMINALS FLOOD
DARK WEB WITH X (TWITTER) GOLD ACCOUNTS

Verified accounts for celebs and organizations deliver a deep vein of cybercrime
riches for crooks.

Tara Seals, Managing Editor, News, Dark Reading

January 3, 2024

2 Min Read
Source: Pixel-shot via Alamy Stock Photo


Cybercriminals are taking over verified "Gold" accounts on X, the social media
service formerly known as Twitter — and selling them on the Dark Web for up to
$2,000 a pop.

That’s according to research from CloudSEK, which has uncovered a "Gold Rush,"
as it were, of these accounts showing up in underground marketplaces.

The Gold badge on X means that the service has independently verified the
account as legitimately belonging to a high-profile organization or a celebrity.
It was introduced a year ago as a paid option after X made the blue checkmark —
formerly a designation of legitimacy — a badge that anyone could pay to include
on their profiles, no validation needed.




CYBERCRIME RICHES VIA X GOLD ACCOUNTS

Cybercriminals are now brute-forcing passwords and stealing credentials through
malware in order to gain access to existing Gold accounts, according to CloudSEK
researchers; more often, they are also taking over non-Gold accounts associated
with real organizations that haven't been used in months and upgrading them to
verified status. In all, hundreds of accounts with reach to tens of thousands of
followers are on offer in underground forums.



Nefarious types willing to pay can then use the accounts to host phishing links,
launch disinformation campaigns and financial scams, or impact brand reputation
by posting damaging content.

"Dark Web marketplaces are flooded with advertisements selling Twitter Gold
accounts," according to research the firm released this week. "Prices range from
$35 for a basic account to $2,000 for accounts with large followings.”



Source: CloudSEK

The researchers illustrated the danger to organizations from the trend with a
compelling example from September: Cyberattackers were able to take over an X
account belonging to Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum. They then
tweeted out an offer for purportedly free nonfungible tokens (NFTs), with a
malicious link embedded that redirected users to a fake website designed to
drain cryptocurrency from their wallets.

"Despite being active for about 20 minutes, the hackers managed to siphon off a
staggering $691,000 [in] digital assets before removing the fraudulent post,"
according to the analysis.




HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST X ACCOUNT TAKEOVER

The value to crooks in infiltrating major accounts has been a known quantity
since at least 2020, when hackers were able to compromise the internal networks
of what was then Twitter, gaining access to verified accounts and sending out
tweets on behalf of several high-profile individuals.

To protect themselves, organizations should "regularly monitor brand mentions on
Twitter and implement strong password policies to protect against account
compromise," CloudSEK recommended. Effective brand monitoring means identifying
fake profiles, unauthorized product listings, misleading advertisements, and
malicious content.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Tara Seals, Managing Editor, News, Dark Reading



Tara Seals has 20+ years of experience as a journalist, analyst and editor in
the cybersecurity, communications and technology space. Prior to Dark Reading,
Tara was Editor in Chief at Threatpost, and prior to that, the North American
news lead for Infosecurity Magazine. She also spent 13 years working for Informa
(formerly Virgo Publishing), as executive editor and editor-in-chief at
publications focused on both the service provider and the enterprise arenas. A
Texas native, she holds a B.A. from Columbia University, lives in Western
Massachusetts with her family and is on a never-ending quest for good Mexican
food in the Northeast.


See more from Tara Seals, Managing Editor, News, Dark Reading
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities,
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