Cyber Crime Tool Kits Go on Sale BBC News (09/04/07)
as it appeared in the September 7, 2007 edition of ACM TechNews.
Novice cyber criminals can now develop their own cyber attacks with the help of automated, easy-to-use tools and kits developed by malicious hackers. There are at least 68,000 downloadable hacking aids currently circulating, says Secure Computing's Paul Henry. Although most are free and targeted toward those with expertise, a growing number are for sale and aimed at unskilled individuals. Some hacking groups offer virus-writing services that generate individual malicious programs, while others have created expensive kits that even come with technical support to keep the software updated with the latest vulnerabilities. One such product, Mpack, was used in June to subvert over 10,000 Web sites in one attack. The tools are effective because it takes a substantial amount of time for security professionals to patch the increasing number of vulnerabilities being discovered. Hacking groups are drawn to selling such products because doing so confers little risk upon them, as each tool comes with a disclaimer stating that the user assumes responsibility for any abuse. Click Here to View Full Article
