In the last few decades, we've seen cybercrime transform from an activity perpetrated by independent lone actors into an increasingly professional business endeavor in pursuit of profit.
Cybercriminals communicate and collaborate, working together and exchanging information on the deep and dark web. But what exactly is up for sale on these underground markets and what does this tell us about threat actor behavior and motivation?
We spoke to Dov Lerner, the lead security researcher at Cybersixgill to find out.
BN: What sort of information and tools are available on the dark web?
DL: The deep and dark web is a community of communities, in which conversations and commerce take place. In this environment, actors sell and share tools that can be used to carry out various types of attacks. These include malware and hacking tools, some of which are for general use, while others target specific services.
You can also find data, both sold at a price and shared for free, procured as a result of previous cyberattacks. This data includes information such as compromised credit cards, credentials, and sensitive personal information. Finally, actors can forge professional partnerships and access peer-created cybercrime tutorials, allowing them to continuously advance their level of sophistication.
BN: What's behind the increasing professionalization of cybercrime?
DL: Crime follows the money. In the past, criminals with advanced capabilities and aspirations might have been pirates raiding trading ships or robbers on horseback boarding trains. Nowadays, with the digitization of global commerce and finance, there are countless opportunities for criminals with proficient cyber know-how to make a fortune. But ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
