The Underground Hacking Economy

Fast Company profiles the rise of sites like Hackers List and Hackers For Hire, which provide consolidated markets for people to hire hackers to break passwords, alter databases, learn to operate malware, and more. People with the skills to circumvent security are putting themselves out there as freelancers for specific tasks, and people in need of their services are posting notices asking for help. Law enforcement agencies are warning about this new type of behavior, saying it's often illegal, and facilitated by online anonymity and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. The number of deals currently being made through these sites remains small, but it's growing — particularly among business seeking to gain an advantage over competitors in other countries.

Comments

deres haxx0rs in dere m4rk3tz

[Anonymous Coward]

because, you know, smearing the maker movement with juvenile crap is what the security industry is all about

Re:Attack on Rutgers University

[k6mfw]

DDOS attacks forced Rutgers off the internet, right when he and others needed it most to complete assignments.

sure glad I graduated before realtime access to the internet was necessary to finish assignments. Back then all I needed was a lot of hot coffee.