How Hackers are Making a Profit from Your Apple ID

According to latest research, VPN comparison service Top10VPN.com revealed that after banking and financial service IDs, a hacked Apple account is the most valuable single account traded on the dark web, which hackers can sell for around  $15. Aside from Apple, PayPal credentials are more valuable than online bank accounts. While online bank details trade at an average $160, PayPal logins start at around $250. Here is a list of what your different login details are worth:

• Apple ID: $15+
• Amazon: around $10
• eBay account details: $12
• Skype: <$10
• Uber login: $7
• Facebook login: $5.19
• Match.com account details: 0.3
• Travel logins (booking.com, AirBnb, TripAdvisor, Expedia): < $5
• Passport details: $60
• PayPal: $250+
• Skrill: $50

• Your entire identity? $1,100 only!

So exactly how do these hackers manage to steal your credentials? Often times, believe it or not, we fall for their tricks and give away our information without knowing so. Ever received an email from “Apple” saying that your account has been compromised? These hackers try to make these emails as authentic as possible, with Apple’s logos, fonts and styles that you normally receive. “Click this link to recover your account” is something you might see; this would then take you to a fake page that is unsecured, leading you to input your information just for it to get stolen and sold without your knowledge.

Another good tip, aside from being aware of a phishing email, is to set up two-step verification (aka two-factor authentication, or 2FA). With this authentication, it will be much harder for someone to make changes to your account, such as changing your password so you no longer have access. Now, the hacker cannot do anything without providing a verification code, which is delivered to a device in your possession, usually your phone.