An underground economy that mirrors its legitimate ecommerce counterpart is supercharging online criminal behavior, according to a report released Thursday by HP Wolf Security in collaboration with Forensic Pathways. Cybercriminals are now operating on a professional footing with easy-to-launch malware and ransomware attacks being offered on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis, allowing people with even rudimentary IT skills to launch cyberattacks at targets of their choosing, the report notes.
It found that competition in the underground has driven down the price of malicious tools, making them affordable to anyone. In an analysis of 174 exploits advertised on the dark web, HP Wolf researchers found an overwhelming number (91%) were selling for less than $10. A look at 1,653 malware ads revealed more than three quarters (76%) selling for under $10. And on average, information stealers were selling for $5, remote access Trojans (RATs) for $3, exploits for $2.23, and crypters for $1.
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