Security News > 2021 > July > How Fake Accounts and Sneaker-Bots Took Over the Internet

Fake accounts are used for other purposes too: Facebook for instance last fall announced the takedown of 14,000 fake accounts used to spread disinformation in the 2020 election.

Fake-account creation and utilizing fake accounts is a problem for not only social-media platforms but almost any enterprise that has a system that collects accounts for any purpose.

So are fake accounts for these types of services a big concern? Why would it matter if the account didn't represent a one-to-one relationship with real people?

The answer: Fake account creation can result in massive fraud, a problem often minimized because everyone has encountered a fake account at one time or another.

Once a threat actor has created enough email addresses and "Farmed" them to look like real people by sending emails, watching YouTube videos and in general, acting like a human, they then go set up accounts on the desired platforms for the purpose of making purchases of the next item to "Drop." This means these platforms have hundreds of accounts that are simply controlled by the threat actor.

The main issue with the phenomenon of fake accounts is the fact that, whether on a social-media platform, utilizing a public service or simply trying to buy a pair of sneakers, fake accounts are competing with your ability to be recognized as a real individual who desires to be heard.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/fake-accounts-sneaker-bots-internet/167626/