These crimes are rampant partly because criminals are more sophisticated with their tech knowledge. Another reason is a hacker’s toolkit is so easily available on the Dark Web. You’ll be shocked to find out what you can purchase for only a few dollars.
How the Dark Web enables cybercriminals
Researchers with Cybersecurity Ventures say the global cost of cybercrime will double, from $3 trillion in 2015 to $6 trillion in 2021. Making matters worse are tools being sold by hackers on the Dark Web. These tools help anyone pull off cybercrimes, even if they are not tech savvy. A former consultant for the FBI scoured the Dark Web to see what was being sold. Here are some of the cybercrime price lists that he compiled for “Fortune”: Malware
Remote Access Trojan $200Password stealer $50
Ransomware
Sophisticated license for widespread attacks $200Unsophisticated license for targeted attacks $50PC malware installation $11 million malicious spam $400
Software
Remote desktop control tool $100Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack software $700
Payment and login info
Credit/debit card for online use $5Credit/debit card info that can be cloned on plastic $10Bank account login (username and password) $5Bank account login with access to email, security answers etc. $25Existing PayPal account $1
Personal information
Social Security and date of birth verification $3Credit report 750+ credit score $150
Database records
1 million compromised email/passwords $25
Hacking services
Email account $100Social media account $100CMS website (WordPress, etc.) $300
User Obfuscation
Bulletproof hosting in a lax jurisdiction (China, Eastern Europe, etc.) $150Virtual private network (VPN) $20
Malware services
PC malware installation $1Malicious file encryption $25
Spam
500 SMS (Flooding) $20500 malicious email spam $400500 phone calls (Flooding) $201 million email spam (legal) $200
Fake documents
Digital copy of fake credit/debit card $25Digital copy of fake driver’s license or passport $25Digital copy of fake utility bill or Social Security card $15
As you can see by the list, criminals can purchase basic malware for just $1. With these nasty resources available to anyone, what chances do we really have of staying protected?
Don’t know what the Dark Web is? Here’s an in-depth article explaining everything you need to know
No matter how many websites you visit, comments you post, photos you share, videos you watch and forums you join, you’re barely scratching the surface of what’s out there on the internet. Where is the rest of this content hiding? Here’s everything you need to know about the Deep and Dark Web. Click here to see what the Dark Web is and why it matters.
