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Hackers Offer Subscription, Support for Malware

Posted by Zonk on from the ingenuity-leads-to-swelled-pockets dept.

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.'"

3 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Capatilism at it's finest by insanemime · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I know I will likely be flamed for this, but I think its great that the hackers have offered this type of service. This will force microsoft to come up with real security instead of some pop up windows that try and give some simalance of being secure. I hate adware as much as the next guy but if this is allowed to continue, Microsoft might be forced to re-think the base of their OS. Of course this could all be the next small step in Apples bid for world domination! Apple-hired mercenaries working under the guise of business minded hackers...brilliant!

  2. Re:Putting the "organized" in "organized crime" by bmo · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    "Yeah? Which version of OpenSSH? Got the latest security patches from Apple? What's your IP address?"

    First off, only the clued even know that ssh exists and how to turn it on. Joe and Josephine user don't know nor care what it is. It's not turned on by default. If one is offering SSH as a service, one should be clued into where to get updates, and recompiling one's own instead of waiting for Apple. Funny how Apple includes a full dev kit with OS/X and Microsoft doesn't for Windows. http://developer.apple.com/tools/

    The fact is that OS/X is far more robust than any version of Windows. The proof is in the pudding, puddin'.

    --
    BMO

  3. Re:or not by Goaway · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Even better, don't give them write permission. Or read permission. Hell, don't give them a computer.