07-15-2006, 08:08 AM
Quote:Online scammers turned entrepreneurs have found a new commodity to auction off: system and software vulnerabilities.
Here's how it works: Tech savvy cyber crooks identify bugs or vulnerabilities in software applications. Then - instead sharing these findings with the vendor so a patch can be developed - they auction it off online to buyers, many of whom are willing to pay top dollar for this information.
"The name of the game is money," says a study on malware distribution evolution released recently...
"While it may be against the law to propagate viruses, or steal private information, it is not illegal to publish or sell vulnerability information,"...
full article: http://www.pcworld.ca/news/article/6ccdb...49/pg0.htm