Will social networks fight hackers together? They no longer enjoy stealing accounts

Instagram has blocked hundreds of accounts that have been stolen as part of hacking operations designed to gain access to and sell rare usernames. TikTok and Twitter social networks no longer want to tolerate account theft. They took the same steps as Instagram.

Account theft is a specialty of the OGUsers portal

Instagram focused mainly on the OGUsers website, which is known for trading stolen usernames and also helps hack these accounts. The most common is the so-called SIM swapping, in which the attacker gains control over the user’s phone number. He will use this to reset his account passwords and then gain control over them.

“Today, we are deleting hundreds of accounts associated with OGUsers forum members. They harass, blackmail and harm Instagram users. We will continue to do everything in our power to make it harder for hackers to make money on stolen user accounts. “ a Facebook spokesman told The Verge.

The release of this statement is remarkable because it is the first time the platform has publicly shared information about hacking usernames. Instagram also launched a new feature earlier this week that allows users to recover deleted posts in the event that a hacker takes control of their account and deletes them.

Without joint efforts, this intervention would not have succeeded

Such a harsh intervention would not be possible if the same steps were not taken by the social networks Twitter and TikTok. However, it is not clear whether the three platforms worked together or it was just a coincidence.

“In an effort to stop unauthorized behavior, we have recently recovered a number of usernames that have been exploited by hackers.” TikTok said in a statement. “We will continue to focus on keeping up with the attackers, working with third parties and other platforms in the market.”

Twitter experienced an attack last summer

In addition to deactivating stolen accounts, which have become worthless, social platforms have also deactivated some accounts of well-known intermediaries in the OGUsers community.

The OGUsers portal got the news last summer after a small group of hackers associated with the site allegedly attacked the social network Twitter. The attack involved resetting the passwords of accounts of dozens of prominent personalities and companies, including Elon Musk and Barack Obama. These accounts were then to be used to trigger a bitcoin scam.

What will hackers gain?

Many users who frequently visit the OGUsers portal are minors. They are attracted to the hacker community by the idea of ​​obtaining their own rare username.

These usernames are usually simple words, in rare cases individual letters or numbers. They are then exchanged for stolen digital goods or sold for thousands of dollars. And because platforms like Instagram and Twitter have rules prohibiting the purchase and sale of accounts, hackers must resort to illegal methods to obtain them. In addition to SIM swapping, techniques such as phishing, harassment or extortion are also used.