Easy and cheap hacking tools are available online for anyone
Phishing attacks, ransomware and data breaches have been ramping up over the last few years and threatening our digital lives more than ever before.
You don’t need to be a professional hacker living off the grid in a remote location guzzling energy drinks while you ply your crooked trade. Hacker toolkits are available online for anyone to purchase and they’re shockingly cheap and easy to use.
A dark marketplace
The Dark Web keeps internet activity private and anonymous. Dark Web content isn’t indexed by search engines, and you need special software to access it. You can imagine the applications for this, such as avoiding government censorship and keeping identities private.
The Dark Web is a hotbed for illegal activity, such as selling drugs and firearms. You can also find financial and personal information up for sale. Here’s to learn how much your stolen credit card is worth on the Dark Web.
Unsurprisingly, hacking tools known as Crimeware-as-a-Service (CaaS) or Malware-as-a-Service (Maas) are also on sale for as little as $40. Crooks who purchase these programs don’t need much know-how to deploy them. Last year phishing software purchased online targeted some of the biggest banks in the country.
Some malware is available as a subscription service. Fast Company reports that Eternity Stealer, which steals usernames, emails, and credit card numbers, goes for $260 per year.
Everything you do is at risk
Whether you’re buying something online or checking your email, you’re always a potential target for hacks and scams. With CaaS, the risk goes up even higher because the crooked tools are more readily available.
And as in any market, competition breeds innovation — hackers will compete with each other to make more sophisticated and user-friendly tools to get a leg up in the business. And that spells bad news for us all.
RELATED: Operation Cookie Monster brought down a massive hacker marketplace – See if your info was there
