Sales of Hacking Tool Kits on the Rise

By Greg McNevin

October 22, 2007: According to the Secure Computing Corporation, the profits in high-tech crime are encouraging the sale of comprehensive hacking tool kits to cyber criminals.

Booming cyber crime is giving rise to the creation and sale of toolkits enabling novices to create viruses, run phishing scams and perform many other kinds of malicious activities. The firm claims that there are currently more than 68,000 hacking tools available for download online.

“The world of cybercrime is evolving at an amazing speed,” said Benjamin Low, Managing Director for Southeast Asia and India, Secure Computing. “Cybercriminals are getting very innovative in their methods to devise new ways of infiltrating security systems and once they have achieved that, they are now reaping the rewards of this booming industry by selling their proven methods to others.”

The company says that while most of the hacking tools available online are free, they remain difficult to use for most. The problem with this new, growing breed of software, however, is kits including the likes of MPack, Shark 2, Nuclear, WebAttacker and IcePack, are much easier to be used, and are rapidly gaining in popularity despite their cost.

Secure Computing says that these kits are also proving to be quite effective, given more software vulnerabilities are appearing by the day, and by large holes in security are taking longer to patch.

These two factors alone are pushing up kit prices and creating an industry not entirely unlike the legitimate software industry. With kits in the upper echelons costing up to US$1000 (AU$1115), some of the most expensive come with 12 months worth of technical support to ensure they are updated and armed with the latest vulnerabilities.

Those selling the kits are also managing to skirt legal ramifactions of their use by including disclaimers that declare the malicious software is provided for “education use only” with the customer bearing all responsibility for the products use.

“There are little risks involved for the hacking groups selling these kits. Even if the kits are used to commit crimes, the hacking group cannot be charged, as each kit comes with a disclaimer that says the software is distributed for educational purposes and the user accepts all responsibility for any misuse,” said Low.

“The only risk these hacker groups face in making these kits available is someone stealing their software and offering it at a lower price.”

At least there is no honesty among thieves.

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