Why do cybercriminals target celebrities?

Dhanalakshmi Pk

There has been a sudden rise in the hacking of social media accounts of celebs, raising serious questions about the safety of online data and identity theft. No one is exempted from the threat of cyberattacks, especially media account takeovers. Cybercriminals target celebrity accounts for financial gain, notoriety, and further cyberattacks.

Social media is a primary channel for fans to get to know the daily activities of their favourite celebrities and become a part of their personal lives. High-profile and high net worth individuals are at a greater risk because of their social status and influence. Exploiting a social media account is a lucrative opportunity for cybercriminals. Social media accounts of public personalities often contain a good deal of personal and confidential information that criminals can exploit for financial gains. If a cybercriminal gains access to social media accounts of famous public figures, everything they have posted can be misused in various ways. The sensitive data can also be used to scam the family, friends, and numerous fans of celebrities.

More often, access to the accounts of celebrities, including the data, is auctioned in cybercrime markets. Such auctions involve great sums of money and huge opportunities for social manipulation. Another common trick that cybercriminals employ is the use of sensational statements to spread false information to influence the reader. They also use compromised accounts to launch mass social engineering attacks - for example, the recent Twitter account takeover of public figures like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and others.The impact of social media hacking on celebrities can range from financial losses to reputational risk. Without adequate and effective public relations, it could lead to public embarrassment and threaten their social status and careers.

According to Dhanalakshmi Pk, Associate Director of Malware and Intelligence Research at Cyble, "Targeted social engineering campaigns are onec of the ways in which cybercriminals attack celebrities. These attacks involve psychological manipulation of unsuspecting targets, so they disclose confidential data. This is commonly done using urgent and formal emails, leading to victims sharing sensitive information, clicking a malicious link, or opening a malicious file. Cybercriminals may also target celebs with malware in emails and messages appearing to be sent by a friend."

When cybercriminals attempt to phish targets for user credentials, they often send official-sounding messages with a sense of urgency to drive the recipient to take action. Notifications of copyright violation along with the threat of account deletion is a prominent example. Such attempts deceive victims into disclosing sensitive credentials with the aim to sort out a situation. These messages cause distress, and the target often complies with the instructions to submit details in online forms for account verification. In this process, celebrities may unknowingly hand over access to a cybercriminal.

"Personal and corporate information is a highly valuable asset coveted by cybercriminals. They sell personal information of celebrities in Darkweb marketplaces where the data and its access are auctioned to the highest bidder. The more popular or influential the celebrity, the higher will be the bid prices.Factors such as the country's growing digitization and its crucial geopolitical position make India an attractive cybercrime target," concludes Beenu Arora, CEO and Founder of Cyble.

A large volume of criminal transactions including the sale of breach data happen through darkweb marketplaces and cybercrime forums. Cyblemonitors the underbelly of cybercrime to detect and identify the risk exposure in the deep and darkweb.With AmIBreached.com, individuals can scan through 140 B+ darkweb repositories to detect and investigate potential identity thefts and frauds.AmIBreached is the largest darkwebmonitoring engine that helps individuals ascertain their exposure in the Darkweb.

About Cyble

Cyble is a global threat intelligence SaaS provider that helps enterprises protect themselves from cybercrimes and exposure in the darkweb. Cyble's prime focus is to provide organizations with real-time visibility into their digital risk footprint. Backed by Y Combinator as part of the 2021 winter cohort, Cyble has also been recognized by Forbes as one of the top 20 Best Cybersecurity Startups To Watch In 2020. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, and with offices in Australia, Singapore, and India, Cyble has a global presence. To learn more about Cyble, visit www.cyble.io. 

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Medha Roy Chowdhury

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