Cybercriminals are selling selfies alongside their data dumps on Russian language dark web forums, offering potential buyers more options to exploit victims.
“We came across an advertisement in a closed-access forum which is predominantly Russian where someone was selling 100,000 documents for $50,000,” Alex Karlinsky a spokesperson for Israeli dark-web research firm Sixgill told TNW. “These documents include their ID or passport, proof of address, and unusually, a selfie.”
Users could also nab an individual's ID documents, plus a selfie for just $70. The selfies alone don't have much value, but combined with the information sold alongside it, an attacker could open bank accounts and access credit under the name of a victim from institutions that allow customers to open accounts by uploading scans of their ID documents, along with a selfie, in order to verify their identity.
Researchers noted that these methods are becoming more common as banks look to replace traditional branch services with online alternatives including many online only banks that have emerged over the years.
