Cyber security experts say self-help hacking websites con users for money, data
Cyber security experts say self-help hacking websites con users for money, data
If you have been planning a little adventure by hacking into a friend's Facebook account through the many self-help websites, hold your horses.
Sites offering to provide knowhow to hack into any Facebook profile for just $100 are actually online frauds being run to steal personal, financial data from unsuspecting users.
According to cyber security experts, payments made to these websites are conducted online through Western Union and end up in Ukraine, which further establishes the idea that most Internet mafias are based in eastern Europe and Russia. The domain that hosts the service is registered in Moscow.
Such websites claim they have been offering the service for several years and include a money-back guarantee as well. However, experts point out that the domains in most cases are not as old as the websites claim them to be.
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They can even become affiliates to help hackers reach a broader audience. These affiliates receive 20 per cent of what they sell in credit for hacking more accounts.
International cyber security company PandaLabs says the websites are very easy to navigate.
"The system's real purpose may be hacking Facebook accounts as they say, or profiting from those who want to try the service.
In any case, the Web page is very well designed. It is easy to contract the service and become, either the victim of an online fraud, or a cyber-criminal and accomplice in identity theft," said a security expert working with PandaLabs.
Once an intruder hacks into a Facebook account, all personal data published on the site can be stolen.
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Similarly, the accounts can also be used to send malware, spam or other threats to the victim's contacts.
If the profile belongs to a celebrity, it can be used to defame the account holder, spread malafide/wrong information about them.
In any case, this is a criminal activity", said the expert.
How It Works
The user is asked to register with the site. Then, he/she is provided the ID of the target Facebook account. A temporary Facebook account is created and then the user is made to "hack" it.
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Many people don't know that obtaining an ID is something trivial and if somebody knows an ID, the Facebook username corresponding to that ID can be easily obtained.
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To add credibility, once the user enters the ID and clicks on the "Hack it" button, the specific username of the profile owners pops out.
But the password is not revealed until the user agrees to pay $100 through Western Union. Once the user agrees, he/she is asked to give out the financial details in an online form.
Once the information is sent and the money transferred, the user is left in the lurch. And it is assumed that since he was trying to hack into an account, the police won't be informed.
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