Hackers Offer Subscription, Support for Malware

Stony Stevenson writes "Organised gangs are taking a page out of security vendors' books and setting up their own websites that offer support and subscriptions for malware and spyware. From the article: 'For subscriptions starting as low as $20 per month, enterprises can sell fully managed exploit engines that spyware distributors and spammers can use to infiltrate systems worldwide, said Gunter Ollmann, director of security strategies at IBM's ISS X-Force team. Many exploit providers simply wait for Microsoft's monthly patches, which they then reverse engineer to develop new exploit code against the disclosed vulnerabilities, Ollmann said. "Then all you've got to do is just subscribe to them on a monthly basis.'"

Automatic updates

[Anonymous Coward]

Couldn't they make more money by offering a 'Patch Wednesday' kind of service which updated Microsoft products and protected against the next round of vulnerabilities? Seeing as no one else is able to do this there's a very obvious gap in the market here for someone who knows a bit about exploiting MS products!

Follow the money

[Harmonious Botch]

...then kill them.

$20?!?!

[Anonymous Coward]

$20? What a rip off. I get the latest malware and spyware for free every day courtesy of my coworkers.

Re:Putting the "organized" in "organized crime"

[peragrin]

Yet they still won't provide support for *nix in any way shape or form.

I want malware, and viruses for my OSX box. it just isn't fair that the viruses and malware only works on windows. I have animated cursors too. Heck right my ssh port is open go ahead and try to crack it.

Re:Follow the money

[Jaysyn]

To paraphrase Marv: "I love malware writers. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad."

Re:Title somewhat misleading

[morgan_greywolf]

That's kind of what I thought. Like "d00d! 1m g0nna h4x0r ur g1bs0n 1f j00 d0nt s1gn up 4 my '5upp0rt 5u85cr1p710n!" Or maybe "I pwn3d j00! n0\/\/ p4y up j00r 5upp0r7 5u8scr1pt1on 1f u w4nt j00r g1bs0n b4ck!"

Re:Putting the "organized" in "organized crime"

[Spudtrooper]

I want full Wine support for the latest viruses and malware, dammit!

Next Step

[Ajehals]

The next step is obviously to protect their IP, so look for patents such as:

"a method of injecting code into a web-browser to steal credit card details.... on the internet"
"a method of using many remote controlled computer's, without the owners express consent* to send unwanted advertising material, to many, many people... on the internet"

After that expect to see Exploit Genuine Advantage programs to ensure that the stolen data you are using is from genuinely advantageous exploits, and not from some half baked knock off malware or virus, duplicated by a disreputable individual.

Obviously the last step will be the mergers, (after all the above should ensure a profitable market is created and grows). Symantec will merge with EvilCode PLC, to produce Evil-Symantec, McAfee will merge with McNasty, to produce McNastfee. These new entities will be able to leverage both the illegal exploit market and provide protection services simultaneously, probably all in one product... , Finally Microsoft will change its OS so that it no longer "works" with all these wondrous exploits and... hell will freeze over :)

Re:Putting the "organized" in "organized crime"

[morgan_greywolf]

Here lemme try *tap* *tap* *tap* There? See? Wine seems to support denial-of-service exploits just fine...oh, wait, that looks like a bug ...

One small error...

[symbolset]

ie create the virus then sell you the fix...

ie isn't a virus development tool. It's just an installer.

Re:Next Step

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

Evil-Symantec ? That deserves a -1 Redundant.

Re:Link to actual site, and better info

[LMacG]

you need to setup it to your websites

Nice to see the Zero Wing writers getting some new work.

Re:Title somewhat misleading

[architimmy]

Slashdot, what have you done to me. I just read that post without even slowing down to figure out what it said.

Re:How long?

[Anonymous Coward]

Eventually; the groups selling the subscription will be booted from the underground / aka no longer be trusted.

Yes, and we all know how organized, monolithic, and connected "the underground" is.

*rolls eyes*

Re:Title somewhat misleading

[morgan_greywolf]

Yeah? If you think that's bad, I typed it without even slowing down the figure out what I was writing!