Billions Of Breached User Credentials Are Available For Purchase - Olmec Skip to main content

Billions Of Breached User Credentials Are Available For Purchase

By July 20, 2020May 5th, 2022Cybersecurity

On a regular basis, we see headlines talking about how this or that company got hacked and X number of employee or customer logins got exposed. However, since those headlines happen in isolation, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. A trip to the Dark Web will reveal just how big of a problem the world faces. If you dare venture into those waters, you’ll find literally billions of user accounts for sale.

In fact, by scouring various forums on the Dark Web, you can find more than fifteen billion credentials for sale, and more than five billion of them are unique.

Typically, hackers sell login credentials by company, but some larger collections are aggregated by industry. Of those, user accounts and passwords from non-financial service companies including VPN, the adult industry, the video game industry, and social media tend to be the least expensive. They tend to be sold for less than twenty dollars. Contrast that with user accounts and passwords from the financial services sector average about $70 each.

The real money though, is in accounts where a hacker can confirm a bank balance for an online bank account. In those instances, depending on the confirmed balance, the credentials can go for $500 or even more.

The most expensive login credentials on the web are those with confirmed domain admin access. These are not sold at a fixed price, but rather, auctioned to the highest bidder. They average more than $3,000 per account, but in one instance, sold for a staggering $120,000.

The bottom line here is simply this: Your information is valuable, and there’s a largely invisible market for your login information. Guard it closely and make sure your passwords aren’t easily guessed. When a company you do business with is hacked, don’t take any chances. Change your password immediately. Don’t become a statistic.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.