Foreword
In recent years, the role of hackers has changed; in the past, these professionals were considered as dangerous criminals who needed to be kept at arm's length; Meanwhile, today they are in great demand from private companies, special services and criminal groups.
Hacking services are one of the most attractive products in the underground market, you can hire a hacker to request a “realistic” penetration test or pay for hacking your Gmail or Facebook account for cyber-espionage purposes. Recently, Business Insider journalists published a message describing prices for basic hacking services that can be purchased online. According to Business Insider, a person who wants to hack someone’s Gmail account will have to pay about $ 90. For example, hackers can be hired to hack an account on social networks, the cost of hacking a Facebook account is $ 350. An investigation by journalists revealed that a hacker could steal someone's Hilton Honor (reward for booking hotels) points for $ 15 or endanger the NetFlix account for only $ 1.25. Other common hacking items on DeepWeb are hacker courses that sell for $ 20. They tell you about the search for the main vulnerabilities of sites, DDoS or damage to the website.
There are various ways to buy hacker services and perhaps the most interesting place to meet members of the main hacker communities - DeepWeb.
The number of hacker communities in DeepWeb is very high, as reported by many studies published by security companies and cyber experts: hackforum, Trojanforge, Mazafaka, dark0de.
Most hacker communities are closed to the public, and an invitation is required in order to join the discussions. In many cases, these groups specialize in specific topics and tasks (for example, hacking on social networks, data theft, malware and exploits, as well as attacks, etc. (i.e., DDoS, website hacking).
Among the communities available by invitation only, there are several flowers, an example is the popular Trojanforge, which specializes in malware and code changes.
According to the results of a study conducted by experts in the Dell Trust Works Counter Threat Unit (CTU), we learn how the dynamics and development trend of hacker communities in the deep web is changing. In 2013, experts from the Dell Protect Threat Unit (CTU) published a very interesting report called “The Underground Hacking Economy is Alive and Well”, which explored the online market for “stolen data” and hacking services. The study lists products sold on black markets and their associated costs. A year later, the same team of researchers at Dell SecureWorks released an update to explore black markets called “Underground Hacker Markets”, which reported a number of notable trends.
Researchers have seen a growing interest in personal data, in particular, in any documentation that could be used as a second form of authentication, including passports, driver's licenses, social security numbers, and even utility bills. Another distinctive element in the evolution of underground markets last year is the Hacker Tutorials offer, since this type of product is still an element of attraction in the hacker community.
The tutorials provide instructions for criminals and hackers who want to enter the carding business, information on launching exploit kits, guides on organizing spam and phishing campaigns, and tutorials on how to launch DDoS attacks and launch them. Other tutorials offered in hacker communities include instructions on hacking ATMs and cash-out “dirty” money.
The results of a study conducted by Dell experts confirm the results of another interesting report published by TrendMicro on the activities in the Brazilian Deep Web, which is characterized by the presence of a significant number of similar products and services. Hacker communities are very active in the sale of stolen credit cards in order to reach a wider audience and provide specialized services at higher prices. The following table, which I found, lists the services and products with the corresponding prices, expressed in both Bitcoin and Euro.
Hiring a Tor Hacker
I am very surprised by the number of offers from hackers who advertise their services in various hacker forums in Deepweb. Experts that you find in many hacker communities can help you pass the penetration test on your site or use known flaws on vulnerable sites that you want to “test”.
Let's start our tour from the site "Rent-A-Hacker"; it seems to be controlled by one hacker who writes to himself the following:
“An experienced hacker offers his services! (Illegal) Hacking and social engineering is my business since I started doing this from the age of 16 and I never had a real job, so I had time to work on hacking perfectly and I made a good amount of money for +20 years forward. I used to work with other people, now I also offer my services to anyone who has enough money. Each with enough money. ”
Hacker explains that he is a professional in his business, specializing in illegal hacker services; It offers "to destroy the business or life of people." Reading his description, he seems to specialize in hacking sites and probably controls the botnet he offers for DDoS attacks. Hacker also explains that he can carry out a campaign of espionage and track activity on the Internet. Among the services offered to them there is also a collection for the personal information of any person, anyway, each step can be accomplished with an hourly rate that is about $ 100. Prices depend on many factors, including the complexity of the task assigned to the expert. Of course, payments are anonymous and made via cryptocurrencies.
The next site is heLL. The web portal contains several sections related to hacking tools, tutorials and, of course, it is filled with hackers offering their services.
What can we find in the Deep Web?
DeepWeb is a “hidden reality” where you can find all kinds of illegal products and services. Black markets are places at DeepWeb, sellers offer their illegal goods and services, including drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, stolen goods, credit cards, access to bank accounts, fake IDs and related documents, various accounts, human trafficking, authorities, hacker services.
The hacker market within the deep web is thriving due to the anonymity offered by the communication protocols implemented in this part of the Internet.
As we can see, it is not so difficult to hire a hacker in the many black markets available on the Deep Web, especially when someone needs simple tasks. The situation is quite different when you are looking for a professional hacking team; these groups typically use different channels to communicate with a limited number of clients. Another consideration is that most of the services offered through several hidden services are fraud, and in many cases, hackers may not complete their tasks.
For this reason, users who intend to hire a hacker usually refer to black markets because of the reputation mechanisms they implement. Another reflection is that prices for different hacker services are quite similar between different forums or hacker communities, which allows us to track the evolution and trends in Deepweb. For example, price fluctuations may be caused by the sudden availability of a product in a criminal ecosystem. This information is extremely valuable for law enforcement and for those who constantly monitor criminal groups and their activities.