Criminal gangs seek to recruit people with advanced computer skills
According to network security specialists from
the International Institute of Cyber Security, cybercriminals gangs are always
looking for people capable for deploying intimidation, threat, harassment, and
extortion and cyberattack campaigns against various services, platforms and
users. Last November, for example, a group of hackers known as ‘The Dark Overlord’ began circulating an ad through various hacking forums; “Do you want to
get rich? Join us”, the ad mentioned.
The Dark Overlord is a renowned cybercriminals
group focused primarily on data theft and extortion of thousands of victims.
This gang is just one of countless criminal hacker groups that keep using multiple
darknet forums to recruit new members and continue selling stolen data,
extortion and attack on websites.
Network management and
programming skills
According to network security experts, The Dark Overlord is recruiting hackers with at least 10 years
of experience in specific areas, such as application design and network
management on Windows and Linux systems, as well as programming in the most
used languages.
“You must have at least 10 years of experience
in network management or programming, this requirement is not negotiable”,
mentions the announcement of the group of hackers. “We do not accept freelancers;
you must prove at least 5 years of experience working in a cooperative
environment. In addition, you should be able to provide innovative approaches
to our regular activities,” concludes the announcement.
The criminal group offers its new full-time
employees a monthly salary close to $65k USD, with the possibility of
increasing to $90k USD after two years of work, as reported by the network
security experts.
Higher salaries for
multilingual hackers
Malicious hackers with multilingual
communication and programming skills could get better payments. According to
the announcement, The Dark Overlord would pay an extra 5% to the salaries or commissions
of hackers with additional language domain, especially German, Arabic and
Chinese.
Diversifying
dissemination methods
Criminal organizations like The Dark Overlord
are not only looking for individuals with advanced computer skills and
knowledge. Such groups also need to recruit staff to cover positions that do
not require the least knowledge of hacking; some people, for example, are
recruited to deploy propaganda outside the darknet (using graffiti, for
example) to disseminate information about Telegram groups, key names for drug
and weapon sales forums, among other activities.
Other non-specialized works for which
cybercriminals require personnel is data entering and manual CAPTCHA solution.
Although to a lesser extent than a job as a
hacker, these jobs can be very lucrative, especially for students or young
people without occupation. In countries like Ukraine, for example, a job as a
CAPTCHA solver is close to $150 USD a month, much higher than the scholarship
of an average of $60 USD per month that Ukrainian students can apply for.
Despite the risks of enrolling in this kind of
activity, there are many people willing to collaborate with cybercrime.
According to a report by cybersecurity specialists, three of the four hacker
vacancies that the Dark Overlord announced were covered only a few days after
the ad was published.
