Cybercriminals are becoming more efficient and organized online. The dark web, a term that means the parts of the Internet that require specific software, configurations or authorization to access and often sell illegal goods and services, is evolving into a full-fledged business. This underground criminal-lead market now offers customers the ability to review, assess and choose hacking tools and services through a handful of competitive vendors. Essentially, it’s becoming more like a legitimate online marketplace like Amazon, eBay or Shopify, complete with trouble tickets and hacker consultant services for hire.
According to a recent CSO Online article, many experts are concerned about the dark web’s new structure because it makes attacks easier to carry out. A customer without any technical skills can hire a sophisticated programmer with one simple click and a Bitcoin payment.
Here is a brief excerpt from the article:
Exploits and attack code can be devilishly complex to discover or build from scratch. The dark web provides a marketplace that connects programmers with the needed skills with those with motivations to unleash them. Idol Wulkan, intelligence team lead at IntSights, points to several malware packages for sale on the dark web, including Dr0p1t-Framework, a trojan that downloads other malware, and the Silent Word exploit, which converts a malicious .EXE file into an innocent-seeming .DOC.
Read the full article on CSO Online and a recent dark web takedown on Europol. Also, check out WatchGuard’s “Hacking Menu” – Crimeware-as-a-Service by the Numbers here.