While black market websites have long since offered a wide array of services aimed at the aspiring cybercriminal, recent attention has been given to a new breed of websites that offer hacking services to a much broader market, anyone really – for hire of course. Sites such as hackerslist.com, hackerforhire.org, neighborhoodhacker.com and even the review site, hackerforhirereview.com, serve as anonymous meeting grounds for people seeking hacking services and for hackers to provide those services. While the legality of these sites is still in question, many listings populate these sites and many hacking services have been rendered.
So what services are available on these sites? How much does it cost? And can you get in trouble?
Let’s find out!
First, the services offered on these more mainstream sites are only a small subset of the service offerings available on the larger underground market. You won’t find access to 100’s or 1000’s of infected PC’s, or malicious botnet hosting services either. Nor will you find malware writers or liquidation services for stolen passwords and credit card info. These offerings remain only available on sites looking to attract new cybercriminals which is quite a bit different from the focus of the hacking for hire websites.
The offerings you will find on hacking for hire sites are largely tied to spying and breaking into accounts as well as removing defamatory content and investigating cyber-bullying. Some sites have stronger policies about which services can be rendered and the term ‘Ethical Hacker’ is used broadly to give assurance to visitors seeking services that doing so is justified, and even ethical. But quite the opposite can be true. Who is to say that once a password is cracked, that the hacker stops there? Or that once an account is broken into that the hacker won’t collect additional information? What if the hacking service is a scam or what if the hacker is actually law enforcement? There are clearly many very considerable risks in using such services.
But back to what services are actually available and their prices? Pulled directly from neighborhoodhacker.com, here is a list of their service offerings:
• Password Cracking & Recovery
• Online account hacking
• Social Media & Cyber Stalking Investigations
• Social Media Hacking
• Online Fraud Investigation
• Mobile Security
• Identity Theft Consulting
• Encryption
• Cyber Bully or Stalker Investigations
The prices for these services range considerably based on a few factors but generally cost between $100 and $3000 depending on the complexity of the hacking job, a price well within reach for most.
Ultimately, what these sites represent is a growing demand for hacking services. Their emergence continues a trend that has been, and continues, strong in the black market for services. That is, year over year, the barrier to entry into participating in cybercrime becomes easier.
No matter what you’re looking to do, there is someone there ready to help, and not for a very unreasonable fee.
Stay tuned for my next blog which will take a much closer look at what services are offered on the black market for cybercrime.
