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Malware Gangs Run Ads To Hire New Coders
An anonymous reader writes "Think crime doesn't pay? Think again: an increasingly common sight on underground cybercrime forums are ads paid for by malware writers who are looking to hire talented new programmers. The most common ads are for 'crypters' designed to disguise known malware, and 'Web injects,' plug-ins made to run alongside crime kits like ZeuS and SpyEye. Salaries range from $2,000 to $5,000 monthly, health benefits not included."
I'd apply if I knew the requirements and experience??
Previewing comments are for sissies!
I mean, the cut in salary aside, why would I trust them to not bounce my pay check and then go "hire" someone else after taking the code I wrote? Its not like they come across as all that trustworthy and I'd be in no position to pursue legal action as I was hired to do something illegal. At least with traditional crime I can just shoot people who double cross me.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Seriously. Spam posts from the script-kiddie farm? Is that what slashdot pays its editors for?
3-5 years then no pc for 5 years after that
Honestly, if I was even considering writing malware, this would smell like a major sting operation.
The group recruiting for this service must expect that plenty of white hats and/or law enforcement would apply just to see who responds. It would be asinine.
This is one of those industries where I would expect recruitment to be a "don't call us, we'll call you" type of situation.
"Say your last prayers, comrade"
1) Put up ads to hire malware writers
2) Set wages low specifically to attract stupid kids
3) Convince kids to download your toolset to work off of while developing the malware
4) Toolset is a trojan, steal their parents credit card
5) Profit
6) Get away with it every time, 'cause no kid is going to cop to trying to get a job working for hackers
Alternative explanation - it's entrapment by those 25% of hackers who work for the Feds.
At those prices they are going to get crappy developers. To get a good developer who is willing to check his morals at the door, they would probably need to pay closer to ten times that.
Can they pay me in Trident Layers gum? If not, I'll take BitCoin.
Recently, I've ran into a nasty form of Vundo along side FakeAVs. When attempting to kill processes manually with Process Explorer, it will trip a behavior in that the virus will hide all folders and files, and actively delete Start Menu shortcut files from the All Users group. Not to mention disabling Task Manager and other items via registry added GPOs. Basically, a final "Fuck you. If I can't have control of this PC, neither can you"
As an FYI, I've even mounted one of these drives via Windows BartPE boot disk. In fact, the virus does hide the folders and not simply a Windows Explorer trick as one might think.
Just you wait! I'm sure the next version will be coded with ransomware.
Life is not for the lazy.
At those prices they are going to get crappy developers. To get a good developer who is willing to check his morals at the door, they would probably need to pay closer to ten times that.
I suspect that most really skilled developers would pass simply because I don't generally see really the psychology matching up. The really good devs aren't in it for money (at least as the primary motivation), they enjoy building things and not destroying the systems of uninformed n00bs or stealing their credit card numbers. Good luck buying a 'hacktivist type' since their motivation is idealistic to start with. They are fishing for young, low skilled programmers. You don't need to offer the 'malicious skript kiddie' archtype a lot of money, because they aren't going to have the skills or CS knowledge to get the 100k+ dev jobs. And any unscrupulous programmer with real talent won't wast their time subcontracting, they will just write their own maleware.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
, what kind of prison will they go to?
no health care, yea, that's a deal breaker for me....well, that and the fact I can't code to save my own life.....
To me this is support for the case against hate crimes.
Since they're asking me to take a 4x to 10x pay cut in order to work for them - plus lose health benefits and similar - it really sounds like crime don't pay.
It's the same as Steven Levitt showing that drug dealers get paid less than minimum wage; in this case, they're asking for skilled workers, and it's less than what you should look at as minimum wage for that group.
"Think crime doesn't pay? Think again: an increasingly common sight on underground cybercrime forums are ads paid for by malware writers who are looking to hire talented new programmers. .... Salaries range from $2,000 to $5,000 monthly, health benefits not included."
That is really really low... considering the risk on taking on such a job. Even at the high end, that's $60,000 a year.
For most software engineering jobs, entry level salaries start higher, include the health benefits, don't have the risk of going to jail, or stigma associated with writing malware, and they provide solid references for future work. That looks like a typical predatory job ad trying to hire "talented" programmers at rates that would make even non-talented programmers scoff.
Yeah, I still think crime doesn't pay.
Somebody educate me. How is there any money in developing malware to re-invest the profits?
That is why anarchy is the best form of democracy. You have your own laws and turfs. No some bullshit feds and/or LE around you.
Twitter: @dainsanefh
I know many dozens of coders that are more than capable of writing malware. However I don't know any of them that cherish the idea of being a prison bitch. If it where not for that tiny fact there would be mayhem in the intertubes.
Got Code?
I've met one guy that is the admin for a pile of computers in racks on the east coast of the USA and he lives in the middle of Tasmania so almost the exact opposite side of the earth. He even co-ordinated a move of a few racks worth of gear from a hosting centre in one city to one in another with the help of some remote hands, skype etc.
The tricky thing is not doing the work but finding someone that will take you on in the first place. In the case above there was apparently not much local interest in the job so they were willing to take somebody from anywhere.
Taxes and such usually.
it's the bonware that's hard
Korma: Good
I *could* man the phones.
$2000-5000 per month? Hell, I make that doing my legitimate job (and I get full benefits + stock options). Not wroth the risk of potentially going to prison.