Malware Inc.

[mandy]

The average hackers' forum works much like a combination of eBay  and a department store site, Holt reports. Many are divided into areas of interest -- such as programming, scripting, Mac, or Linux -- and there usually is some sort of buying area where shoppers can purchase tools or exploits, such as bots or credit card data collectors.

"The discussion threads act as an advertising tool," Holt says. "If a hacker finds a new bot, they can provide information about it, and give a general sense of pricing as well as how to contact them. Then they can take questions from potential buyers on what they're selling."

But as with eBay or other consumer-to-consumer auction sites, there is a method for building a seller's reputation in hacker forums...

full article: http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/08...ading.html

[mandy]

A related longer article:

Holt leads a team of researchers that tracks the online marketplaces where malware developers, brokers, and criminal "service providers" sell their wares. Starting with nothing more than Google searches, they have identified a network of approximately 30 publicly accessible sites of surprising sophistication, with features that rival eBay and Amazon.

The particular marketplaces Holt's team tracks are generally incorporated into hacker community forum sites hosted in Russia, Eastern Europe, and other regions where criminal prosecution and extradition are difficult or impossible. Prospective sellers post detailed descriptions of their products and services. Those selling malware will often including screenshots, claims about resistance to antivirus or other countermeasures, and penetration capabilities. Those selling stolen account data will often specify the nationality of the account, the bank, the type of account (Visa v. Mastercard, gold v. platinum), and the total value of each account. In many cases, they will also have complex pricing models, including purchase minimums and volume discounts...

full article: http://www.crn.com/security/201800238