Dad, where does malware come from?
September 11th, 2007 by Randy Stewart, Product ManagerEver wonder where spam, viruses and malware come from? Apparently, it comes from the mob.
Tony Soprano, spammer?
Auckland, New Zealand based computer security expert, Peter Gutmann has an informative presentation on the subject here. Malware, it seems, has become quite an industry and Gutmann posits that much of it is being ran by various mafias around the world.
Organized crime recruit so-called “script kiddies” that are writing malware and viruses for fun and pay them to turn their software into money making machines. Gutmann cites a number of internet business practices that have been employed by such as “Malware as a Service,” making it easier than ever to spam people.
A deal you can’t refuse
Gutman, the self proclaimed “professional paranoid,” goes into a high level of detail of exactly how people in the malware industry make money.
Here are a few examples:
- $1 per credit card numbers down to the verification number
- $40 credit card, with date of birth and social security number
- $1000 for 10,000 compromised computers.
Additionally, he takes a technical deep dive into how malware authors hide what they are doing.
If you are an aspiring spammer or virus maker, this is must read. For everyone else, read the end of the document about how to keep yourself safe.