CheckPoint experts found that the number of job search ads on the darknet and on hacker forums is growing – job seekers that were desperate to find a job are now ready to work for cybercriminals.
Check Point reports that a new trend has emerged at the beginning of 2021: not hackers do not post their “vacancies” there, but applicants themselves publish ads and inform that they are ready for any illegal activity.
According to the observations of the researchers, in the last quarter, from 10 to 16 new messages of this kind appeared on the forums every month. Given that such ads were rare in the past, this is an impressive number.
Researchers attribute this to the desperation of people who cannot find work and are experiencing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the global economy and led to an increase in unemployment around the world.
In the ads, desperate job seekers offer their help to cybercriminals, “promising not to ask stupid questions”, “24/7 availability” and “the desire to make money in any way.”
In their report, Check Point experts provide examples of such job search ads.
Below are a couple of such ads.
The applicant writes: “I am ready for any possible job … I am at home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week because of this pandemic.”
A 25-year-old woman from Ukraine, “experienced in fraud in logistics, sales and wholesale”, understands the risks involved in doing such work, and is looking for a position with monthly pay.
Let me remind you that I also talked about the fact that Cybercriminals fake letters from WHO to distribute HawkEye and trick money into fight with COVID-19.
