소셜미디어와 마케팅

소셜미디어는 요즘 마케팅에 적극 활용되고 있습니다. 이 기사에 의하면 Zeus 라는 컴퓨터 바이러스가 인스타그램에서 가짜 계정을 만들어 좋아요를 늘리는데 사용된다고 합니다. 원래는 신용카드 번호를 훔치는데 사용되던 바이러스지만 지금은 인스타그램의 가짜 계정을 늘리는데 사용된다는 것이 참 흥미롭습니다. 심지어는 해커들이 신용카드 번호를 사고파는 사이트에서 1000명의 인스타그램 좋아요는 30달러, 1000명의 팔로워 계좌는 15달러에 판매되고 있습니다. 소셜미디어가 마케팅에 점점 더 큰 비중을 차지하는 것을 잘 보여주는 예인 것 같습니다.

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This Virus Creates Fake Followers on Instagram

President Obama has them. So do many of the Fortune 500 CEOs. We're talking about fake social media followers, and it's no surprise that some of the Internet's most popular social mediaaccounts are bolstered by a less-than-real following.

What is surprising is how these fake followers are now being created. A virus traditionally used for stealing credit card data — known as Zeus — is now being used to increase the online presence of Instagram accounts, according to a Reuters report. (In 2010, the FBI reported that hackers in Eastern Europe used the Zeus virus to steal $70 million from U.S. banks.)

The Instagram "likes" and followers that the virus generates are a boon to marketers, helping them jumpstart marketing campaigns or create buzz around certain hashtags. In some cases, the influx of Instagram "likes" can be worth more than actual credit card numbers.

SEE ALSO: 20 Breathtaking Instagrams By Daredevils

This version of Zeus represents the first known instance of malware specifically intended to create fake social media "likes."

Instagram says it has technical systems in place to try to flag and block fake accounts. "We work hard to limit spam on our service, and prohibit the creation of accounts through unauthorized or automated means," an Instagram spokesperson told Mashable.

"We employ robust systems to address accounts compromised through malware and phishing, which helps keep the number of fake accounts low."

According to RSA, the security division of cloud computing company EMC, 1,000 Instagram "likes" cost marketers roughly $30, while 1,000 followers cost about $15. These packages of "likes" and followers are sold on Internet hacker forums — the same forums where hackers sell credit card data.

For comparison, a batch of 1,000 credit card numbers cost just $6.

The fact that Instagram "likes" cost more than credit card numbers is indicative of how important social media marketing has become. "People perceive importance on what is trending," Victor Pan, a senior data analyst with search marketing company WordStream, told Reuters. "It is the bandwagon effect."

Image: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/instagram-fake-followers/