Content material warning: Due to the character of a number of the actions we found, this collection of articles accommodates content material that some readers might discover upsetting. This consists of profanity and references to medicine, drug habit, playing, pornography, violence, arson, and intercourse work. These references are textual solely and don’t embrace photos or movies.
Following on from the third chapter of our five-part investigation into what cybercriminals do with their income, we now study numerous types of enterprise and earnings technology which might be, in threat-actor parlance, ‘black’ (unlawful).
We acknowledge that legality can fluctuate relying on jurisdiction. Nevertheless, the breadth and depth of those actions are such that we now have to categorize them by some means, and utilizing the risk actors’ personal classes is a logical if imperfect alternative.
Key findings of Half 4
- As in our earlier stories, we recognized a variety of enterprise pursuits on this class (outright legal actions, dubbed ‘black’ on the boards)
- In some circumstances, the legal enterprise pursuits we found had been comparatively low-level: fraud, pyramid schemes, and pretend items
- Nevertheless, different discussions appeared to narrate to extra critical legal exercise, together with counterfeit gold and foreign money, controlling prostitution, cultivating marijuana, tax evasion, and insider buying and selling
- We additionally famous that reinvesting in cybercrime might be a gorgeous choice for risk actors with cash to spend. We noticed a number of funding alternatives and proposals regarding cybercrime
- In some circumstances, discussion board discussions revealed info and pictures that might doubtlessly be used to trace, geolocate, and/or determine risk actors.
Fraud and theft
Bots
We noticed a low-level fraud scheme involving the creation of a number of accounts to carry out “duties” underneath a outstanding firm’s rewards program. The risk actor suggested utilizing an “automation extension” to carry out the duties, and redeeming the income as reward playing cards. In addition they supplied recommendation on avoiding the detection of a number of accounts.
Pyramid schemes
We noticed a number of threads regarding pyramid schemes and scams, together with:
- “A exceptional method that permits you to earn a considerable 3% curiosity per day in your base quantity…the complete funding and withdrawal course of is carried out in USDT [the Tether stablecoin]…doubtlessly permitting you to maintain your earnings with out the burden of taxes”
- An funding alternative in a pyramid scheme (i.e., to assist function the scheme, not an try and sucker discussion board customers into it)
- A number of makes an attempt to truly sucker discussion board customers into pyramid schemes/multilevel advertising applications – one “within the on-line coaching area of interest,” one other that the advertiser famous was “a well-known pyramid…nevertheless it actually works,” and an old style get-rich-quick scheme.
Determine 1: A risk actor tries to recruit different customers to an “associates program…[for] anybody who desires to generate profits promoting widespread instructional merchandise”
Artificial identities
We famous a number of guides on creating ‘CPNs’ (Credit score Privateness Numbers) to ascertain artificial identities (generally often called ‘ghosts’) to use for loans and bank cards, purchase autos, and launder cash – or to promote to folks as a part of fraud campaigns.
Determine 2: A part of an in depth information on CPNs on a legal discussion board
Refunds
One risk actor described a low-level scheme to fraudulently declare refunds from sports activities attire corporations, by claiming that deliveries didn’t arrive. The consumer outlined the scheme, offering recommendation on:
- The right way to behave on the location when ordering
- The optimum worth of products to order
- The right way to report the ‘failed’ supply
- The right way to socially engineer buyer help employees
- The right way to combine respectable and fraudulent orders to keep away from “burning” your tackle and account.
Determine 3: A risk actor outlines a low-level refund rip-off
Labeled advertisements
One other risk actor supplied a information to a low-level rip-off on Avito (a Russian labeled advertisements market), whereby customers publish fraudulent listings, obtain cash from a purchaser, however don’t ship the merchandise and as a substitute get the customer banned from the platform. The publish consists of recommendation on the scheme, easy methods to create a gorgeous itemizing, and easy methods to set a value.
Intercourse work
Laundering
In a thread itemizing a number of concepts for cash laundering, a risk actor instructed: “Recruit (actual or faux) escorts to ship you money of your personal cash after they declared their ‘earnings’ from intercourse work…the prostitute concept is within the Canadian context since prostitution is authorized to promote, not purchase.” One other concept from the identical consumer: “Fake you’re a hooker your self.”
In an analogous vein, a consumer claiming to be from Australia famous in one other thread that since prostitution is authorized there, that they had the thought of “pretending to be an escort to scrub money.”
Determine 4: A risk actor proposes pretending to be a male escort to launder cash
Controlling prostitution
A risk actor instructed making a “job website for escort women” – the place “critical escort businesses…even brothels” can join with “women who wish to go to enterprise, however there is no such thing as a ticket there for the practice from the village or for the airplane to Dubai or the rest.”
Some customers picked minor holes on this plan (opponents, difficulties in promoting site visitors to the location), with one arguing: “Why such a trouble, in the event you actually wish to do pussy, you make webcam studios.”
Determine 5: A risk actor proposes making a “job website for escort women,” sparking a protracted dialogue about intercourse work
One consumer mentioned: “I’ve the chance to arrange my very own brothel in Sochi…the Sochi cops are negotiable and received’t take very a lot…However it’s important to make investments a ton.”
In the identical thread, we additionally noticed the next disturbing remark:
The ladies will must be trampled down, instilled in them with the concept that they’re no person and nothing and solely underneath your safety can they by some means earn one thing. This can be particularly evident within the prostitution enterprise, the place the best and most conventional means of controlling feminine workers is to make them drug dependent.
Stolen and counterfeit items
Counterfeit gold
A risk actor sought a enterprise associate with “an energetic eBay vendor account” as a result of they “have a big provide of counterfeit gold and have been promoting it…the issue is…opening up new accounts.”
Determine 6: A risk actor seeks assist promoting “a big provide of counterfeit gold,” which they declare to have already been doing for some time
Pretend items
A risk actor sought recommendation on easy methods to faux the nation of origin for cheaply purchased Chinese language items that they deliberate to promote on-line. Alongside related strains, we famous a scheme to create a web-based store and “promote excessive class fakes.” Different customers suggested them to “attempt to undergo moderation of merch as second hand…they won’t ask for invoices.” The identical consumer supplied intensive element on their very own experiences.
Historic artifacts
In by far probably the most weird thread we found, a risk actor claimed to have “discovered some pharaonic and coptic monuments [i.e., Ancient Egyptian artifacts]…solely two folks learn about its location. We wish to promote it, however we don’t know the way…to deal with the cargo and the appropriate place to promote in an public sale (black market).” The consumer uploaded two pictures of what seemed to be a sarcophagus mendacity on bubble wrap.
Determine 7: A risk actor claims to have “some pharaonic and coptic [sic] monuments” that they wish to “promote in an public sale (black market)”
Some customers expressed curiosity in buying; others really helpful technique of verifying age/authenticity. One consumer claimed that that they had been to Egypt for the same job and will put the sellers in contact with a respectable purchaser “who will purchase it instantly after his skilled confirms.”
Medication
Hashish
One risk actor said that “we now have direct enterprise relations with an American firm that legally grows and sells marijuana within the US.” The consumer famous that the enterprise is in search of lead turbines and buyers, with lead turbines getting 10% of earnings (“earnings is often $1000-$4000 per day”).
We additionally noticed a information on easy methods to develop 25kg of hashish in 4 months. The consumer outlined prices, together with $7,000 for hydroponics, $1,500 for fertilizer, $12,000 to hire a home, and $1,700 a month for lighting. “The typical value of 25 kilograms of excellent grass wholesale is $50,000…promoting is straightforward and secure…in no way fascinating to the cops – in courtroom you’ll have to show the actual fact of the sale.”
Determine 8: A risk actor posts a tutorial on rising hashish, the gear wanted, and expenditure
Medication and carders
As famous in the primary article on this collection, we famous an admission from a risk actor that they’ve given cocaine and tablets to cybercriminals, in trade for stolen bank card particulars.
Determine 9: A legal discussion board consumer admits to giving cybercriminals “cocaine or tablets” in trade for stolen bank card particulars
Tax evasion
We noticed an in depth dialogue on tax evasion strategies, together with particular steering on tax evasion versus cash laundering; utilizing “a corrupt, overseas financial institution” versus false reporting; hiring “specialised attorneys” and extra.
Determine 10: A part of an in depth dialogue on tax evasion on a legal discussion board
Insider buying and selling
One risk actor claimed to have an insider in a outstanding expertise agency, who really helpful investing huge cash after “the corporate made some main modifications…they need to double their inventory value in 12-16 months.”
Determine 11: A risk actor claims to have an insider inside a outstanding expertise firm
One other risk actor suggested others “to not gamble on the inventory market…getting inside information is the one means…if hacking teams give a heads up on which firm’s paperwork they’re going to leak you should purchase put contracts on the corporate and revenue on inventory taking place.”
In the identical vein, one other consumer requested about shorting shares of corporations affected by ransomware assaults, and questioned if ransomware operators have thought of doing this. Most customers mentioned this was viable, though others had been extra uncertain (“You’ll entice regulatory authorities for insider buying and selling”).
In the identical thread, risk actors additionally mentioned different varieties of assault (DDoS and web site defacements), together with their doable impacts on inventory value and whether or not it could be value shorting the inventory. A consumer instructed utilizing website positioning, deepfakes, and AI-generated articles to drive down the inventory costs of attacked corporations additional.
On one other thread, a risk actor claimed to “promote insider info effectively prematurely of the large strikes out there for some cryptocurrencies. I often work with funding corporations, however a few of you have got an honest quantity of cryptocurrencies, and I consider that I may be of nice assist to you.”
Reinvesting in cybercrime
Throughout our analysis, we famous many risk actors asking their friends what they need to make investments their cash in, and replies akin to “make investments it within the enterprise that introduced you this earnings. It’s apparent.” Reinvesting in cybercrime could also be enticing to risk actors who’ve ‘paid their dues’ and profited – they will put money into a brand new undertaking in a well-recognized discipline, and reap the rewards whereas being uncovered to much less threat.
Malware and phishing
We noticed a number of funding alternatives in in-progress/in-development malware and campaigns, together with an funding alternative ($1,000-2,000) in an Android botnet, with the flexibility to steal bank card information, spam contacts, ahead incoming calls, launch customized apps, and intercept incoming SMS messages. A screenshot was included.
We additionally famous:
- An funding alternative ($3,000-5,000) to open a retailer for botnet logs (i.e., stolen knowledge from infostealers)
- An funding alternative ($5,000) in a Telegram phishing software/marketing campaign
- A obscure proposal regarding an MT103 (a protocol utilized in SWIFT) staging server (“I’m in search of cooperation with a darkish net developer…we now have a deal for 10 million {dollars}”).
Determine 12: A risk actor seeks funding to create their very own “botnet logs retailer”
Determine 13: A screenshot of a Telegram phishing platform, included as a part of a pitch to potential buyers on a legal discussion board
DDoS
We noticed a chance (ROI: 30% of revenue) to put money into a year-old DDoS-related undertaking (the consumer insisted that this was not a rip-off, pointing to their popularity and lack of arbitration complaints, and the truth that they had been keen to debate circumstances privately).
SIM-swapping
We noticed an funding alternative (ROI: 20% of every cashout) in sim-swapping. “I’ve crypto logins and financial institution logins with cash, my final step is sim-swapping.”
Crowdfunding
One risk actor proposed launching a crowdfunding platform on Tor “for gray/black subjects.” Different customers seemed to be eager in precept, however famous that the platform would want to each guarantee anonymity and stop scams. One consumer instructed good contracts as a doable resolution.
Determine 14: A risk actor proposes a “darknet” crowdfunding platform for legal actions, likening the precept to Kickstarter
Counterfeit foreign money
A risk actor proposed a scheme whereby they would offer different customers with counterfeit US foreign money to launder, earlier than giving the OP a proportion. The OP instructed $400 (4 $100 payments) to start out, later rising to 1000’s. The counterfeit payments allegedly had a number of serial numbers, watermarks, safety strips, optically variable ink, and handed the “pen take a look at” (a way to detect counterfeit payments through a particular ink), however didn’t work in ATMs and wanted to be aged and handled earlier than use.
One other consumer outlined a plan for counterfeit payments, and supplied particulars on their digital and bodily OPSEC measures. The latter included:
- By no means utilizing the payments in retail shops, solely at bodily meet-ups (e.g., Craigslist transactions)
- Going from metropolis to metropolis
- By no means utilizing cash for trivial issues like accommodations, meals, fuel
- Promoting the illicitly acquired gadgets in numerous nations
Determine 15: A risk actor goes into important element concerning their plan to distribute counterfeit payments
Attainable assault
Lastly, we noticed a very disturbing thread, though it was (in all probability intentionally) very obscure. A risk actor requested the cryptic query: “Has anybody encountered or maybe heard of individuals being intimidated by voices? An individual is combined with some substance after which he begins to have extreme issues.”
Determine 16: A risk actor posts an uncommon query on a legal discussion board
One other consumer responded:
You need to use a ‘fact serum’ (scopolamine or analogues, accessible on the darknet)…the particular person himself will surrender all the pieces and let you know all the pieces. In actual life, I noticed a profitable theft utilizing scopolamine, the person did all the pieces he was requested to do – he took the paperwork and laptop computer out of the home, he withdrew cash from the ATM, he himself entered passwords in banking. Watch out about dosing.
Scopolamine (prescribed to handle, amongst different issues, nausea and vomiting attributable to movement illness or surgical anesthesia) is understood to have been used for theft, and allegedly additionally to facilitate kidnappings and sexual assaults.
Over the previous 4 articles, we’ve explored a big selection of enterprise pursuits, starting from the innocuous (digitizing VHS tapes and making a cellular health app) to the downright legal (curiosity in working a brothel, counterfeit payments, rising hashish) and just about all the pieces in between. However what does this imply for the cybersecurity business, legislation enforcement, and society as a complete?
Within the concluding chapter of this collection, we’ll study the implications, challenges, and alternatives of risk actors shifting past the cyber kill chain.
