Russian Spammer Exploits Kopeechka.store for Mass Mastodon Account Registrations
A Russian spammer, Quotpw, has been exploiting a service called Kopeechka.store to facilitate mass account registrations and spam campaigns. This has led to disruptions on platforms like Mastodon. Kopeechka operates by renting access to established email addresses, charging a tiny fraction of a penny per use.
Quotpw used Kopeechka's service to register thousands of accounts on Mastodon in May 2023. This overwhelmed the platform's systems, causing temporary registration halts. Kopeechka enables this by renting out email addresses already registered with major online services like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Hotmail. Quotpw's botnet code contained an API call to Kopeechka, allowing him to pool many compromised or bot-created emails.
Kopeechka charges around $0.00087 per account confirmation link. It forwards new messages matching the expected service or website to the customer's Kopeechka account panel. The service also has affiliate programs, paying app developers for embedding its API and individuals for selling email credentials.
Quotpw's actions highlight the potential misuse of services like Kopeechka.store, which can facilitate large-scale spam and account creation campaigns. While there's no direct link to the 'Project Impulse' crypto fraud scandal, the service's operation raises concerns about online security and platform integrity.
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