The global roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations is underway – but so far only around 1% of the world’s population have received their full course of injections.
There will always be people who don’t want to wait for their official vaccination, or for an official negative test result – and shady people willing to service that demand.
Back in January, Check Point Research reported how there were hundreds of advertisements on the dark net were advertising Covid-19 vaccines for sale from $500 – and now the number of adverts has more than tripled to more than 1 200.
In addition, vendors are also offering a range of fake vaccination certificates and negative test results to people who need proof of either.
In a new report, Check Point Research shows the latest updates on the sharp increase in adverts for Covid-19 vaccines from the Darknet. It also uncovers how negative Covid-19 test results are being offered to buyers who are willing to pay for them.
In addition, hundreds of vaccination “certificates” are being manufactured, created and printed to order, ready to be used to enable people to board planes, cross borders or for any relevant activity that requires a person to give proof that they have been vaccinated.
In recent weeks, researchers have spotted an increasing amount of advertisements for counterfeit vaccines within Darknet markets: currently numbering over 1 200, with sellers based in the U.S. and European countries including Spain, Germany, France and Russia.
This represents over a 300% increase since January 2021.
The vaccines advertised include Oxford – AstraZeneca (at $500), Johnson & Johnson ($600), the Russian Sputnik vaccine ($600) and the Chinese Sionpharm vaccine.
As a mean to prepare society for restarting tourism, flights routine and border crossing, the European commission, has proposed a vaccination certificate so users can prove they have been vaccinated against the virus; that they have received a negative Covid-19 test; or they have recovered after contracting the coronavirus.
Various threat actors and hackers have quickly realized the potential market for fake documents, and have been quick to grab the monetisation opportunity, with fake certificates now widely available from about $135.
A different hacking forum is touting Covid-19 (negative) test results on sale for just $25. Results are produces within 30 minutes and are sent discreetly to users’ email inbox.