Most of us use Instagram for its intended purpose, sharing photos and videos, but it appears that others are using it for something else entirely. According to a new report, hackers are utilizing Instagram’s massive reach to sell stolen Fortnite accounts. Spotify accounts are also being sold in addition to access to botnets that are designed to launch distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Motherboard spoke with someone involved in selling hacking-related goods on Instagram who said that there are a lot of people involved in this on Instagram. Some of the hackers appear to be simply advertising their hacking tools through normal posts on Instagram while others are posting them on Stories.
The same person also added that there’s a lot of interest for stolen Fortnite accounts. Hackers have increasingly been cracking into Fortnite skins as the game’s popularity has reached fever pitch and some accounts have rare character skins. Hackers often break into accounts in order to use the victim’s payment methods to buy upgrades for the game and then transfer those upgrades to other accounts.
An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to the scribe that the company’s terms of service prohibit its use for any “unlawful, misleading, or fraudulent or for an illegal or unauthorized purpose,” and that includes selling access to hacked accounts or devices. The spokesperson added that Instagram is investigating this issue and will take steps to remove accounts that are violating its terms of service.