While a lot about this discovery remains a mystery, the click farm was clearly very successful.
But rare are these times.
Most often, it takes days of investigating before we understand whats at stake or whos leaking the data.
Some affected parties deny the facts, disregarding our research, or playing down its impact.
So, we need to be thorough andmake sure everything we find is correct and accurate.
In this case,the incidentdidnt originate from Instagram.
Data logs from the click farm’s fake profiles
The click farm is beingoperated by a 3rd party, possibly based in Kazakhstan or Armenia.
In the meantime, we continued to investigate the database to learn more.
Each fake account would thenpublish posts, view others posts, follow, react, and engage with profiles.
Data logs from the click farm’s fake profiles
The click farm was also using proxy servers and IP addresses to hide its activity.
In doing so, they’redefrauding any company or 3rd party that pays them based on followers and engagement.
Misinformation and Fake News
Click farms are also used tospread fake news and misinformation.
However, they may just be replaced with new ones.
Remember that a lot of what you see on social media has been manipulated in some way.
Awareness will reduce their influence, at least a little.
Our researchers use port scanning technology to examine particular IP blocks and test different systems for weaknesses or vulnerabilities.
They examine each weakness for any data being leaked.
Our team was able to jump into the click farms database because it was completely unsecured and unencrypted.
These ethics also mean we carry a responsibility to the public.
Instagram users must be aware of scams targeting them.
The purpose of this web mapping project is to help make the internet safer for all users.
We never sell, store, or expose any information we encounter during our security research.
Our ethical security research team has discovered and disclosed some of the most impactful data breaches in recent years.
This has included scams targetingSpotifyandFacebookusers.
Help Us Protect the Internet!
