Hackers Write Spyware For Cash, Not Fame

KingFish

More than 70% of virus writers are now writing spyware under contract, one more piece of evidence that hacking has evolved from mischievous hobby to money-making criminal venture.

More than 70 percent of virus writers are now writing spyware under contract, one more piece of evidence that hacking has evolved from mischievous hobby to money-making criminal venture, a security firm reported Monday.
Tel Aviv-based Aladdin Knowledge Systems said its analysis showed that spyware is the favorite among malware writers, since it lets them re-wrap their own "technology" and sell it, or even introduce their own money-making ventures.

"We analyzed all the viruses we received during the past six months, and found that 70 percent contained some sort of spyware module or component," said Shimon Gruper, the vice president of technologies in Aladdin's eSafe unit. "Writers have definitely moved from creating simple viruses to sophisticated 'machines' designed to hijack computers and the information on them."

The bulk of the spyware being created by hackers, said Gruper, linked to organized crime. "They're doing it for financial gain, pure and simple," said Gruper. "Unlike in the past, when hackers were mostly 'script kiddies' who had nothing better to do, it's quickly becoming more of an organized crime venture."

Gruper's take mirrors that of most security analysts, who have been tracking a shift in hacker motivation over the past 12 to 18 months. Symantec, for instance, noted in its recent Internet Security Threat Report that "the use of malicious code for profit appears to be an increasing concern," particularly in bot networks.

Aladdin didn't concentrate on bots, but instead did detailed comparisons of spyware it found on sex-related Web sites, and found, Gruper said, that most shared multiple characteristics. "We believe that the same programmers wrote the bulk of the spyware being planted by these sex sites," he said.

Gruper's security team also found other connections between the viruses and worms it studied, and much of the spyware it analyzed. "When we started tracking spyware, we suspected that this was a trend, hackers turning to spyware for profit. After we decoded the viruses and compared their code with that of spyware, we confirmed the similarities. There were a lot of similar components in both the viruses and in the spyware."

Source: Information Week

primesuspect

Does this surprise anyone?

QCH

Money makes the world go round... grrrr.... I just wish they'd get a life. Help solve MS crappy OS, that would make life better.

profdlp

Beginning a year or so ago, I've felt that Spyware has in many ways become a worse problem than viruses. Most people have at least heard of viruses and have some idea that they need protection from them. With Spyware, the immediate impact may not be as severe, but "death by 1,000 cuts" leaves you just as screwed in the long run as an instantaneous viral infection. Our SVT Forum is a testament to the fact that most people are not even aware that they are at risk.

Garg

Spyware has definitely affected me more than old-school viruses. I've had ONE virus detected on my comptuer, ever. I was in junior high, and I downloaded a Doom 2 map off a BBS that had a virus embedded in it. Spyware is far more present, and far more annoying.