ViSalus Sciences was caught using hackers to get insider information on rival company Ocean Avenue. (via ViSalus)
Information is a hot commodity in today’s faced-paced world and almost any information on anything and anyone can be had- for a price. Sure, it may sound like a commercial but just look at the amount of information that is hacked on almost a daily basis. The US Army’s public website, OlaCabs, iiNet and Zomato are a handful of government institutions and companies that were hacked in the last week and the trend isn’t limited to nefarious underground entities who grab information for personal gain.
As strange as it may sound, hackers are hired for other purposes other than being employed as security experts. Case in point- in 2013 internet marketing company ViSalus hired a pair of private investigators to spy on a rival company (Ocean Avenue) over alleged employee poaching. Those PI’s (Nick Sarnicola and Blake Mallen) in-turn hired a pair of hackers to break into OA’s email and Skype accounts and were subsequently caught (unknown as how the feds caught them), resulting in a slew of charges including RICO violations and engaging 3rd party individuals to commit criminal acts and extortion.
Suffice it to say, the case sheds light on an emerging market that allows anyone to hire their own hackers for anything from gaining test answers for school to corporate and governmental espionage. In fact, there are some underground sites that function in an eBay-like fashion where users can vouch for another’s credentials in a positive feedback for their services. Sites like Hackers List features hackers bidding on requested projects such as Facebook password access, Bitcoin wallet access and even smartphone password cracking. Usually, the cheapest bidder gets the job and the sight features an escrow-like account that stores the money until the job is completed.
Other sites like HackForums.net have advertisements hackers can post to get jobs, which include Wi-Fi/Bluetooth hacking, website hacking and even DDoS attacks- for a price. They also feature tutorials and tools for new and novice hackers as well. The internet is littered with sites that offer ‘assistance’ to anyone who has the money almost on the same (if not higher) level as Silk Road or others found on the Deep Web where drugs and even murder for hire can be bought.
As the number of hacker for hire sites continue to rise, so do the number of new prosecutions for cybercrime activity. Some of the more notable prosecutions include former New York PI Eric Saldarriaga who hired hackers to grab data on his client’s opponents, NYC police detective Edwin Vargas who used an online service to spy on his ex and Pennsylvania resident Zachary Landis who solicited a hacker on Craigslist to erase fines and court costs he had accumulated. Even though prosecutions have risen in the last few years, the laws regarding the nature of cybercrimes continues to evolve, however it’s still scary to think that anyone can potentially gain access to all of your online information.
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