I’m specifically referring to things like the ads for cheap sunglasses that I’ve been seeing for what seems like over a decade now and the more recent “look who died in an accident” video links that three of my elderly aunts have had on their accounts in the last year. Who is “hacking” these accounts and what are they gaining from it?
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The “look who died” links aren’t hacks, just misleading. Typically they’re links that require you to share the story before it will show you the story, but there is no story. Not really sure why people do that. Maybe trying to scrounge up some as revenue? Could be doing some backdoor search engine optimization by generating more traffic, but really they’re no different from chain e-mails. People either don’t realize they’ve shared them or don’t understand the internet at all, and blame hacks.
Actual hacked accounts almost always come from social engineering attacks. There’s a very common script they follow saying they’re trying to win a contest and need you to follow specific steps to “vote” for them. The steps have you forwarding a password reset link or something along those lines. Once they get into your account, they start posting scam links, often fake dog selling schemes or investment schemes, and DMing your friends to get more accounts and widen their reach.
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