World Wide Web and The Dark Economy

By Jimmy Daniels
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

In a previous post, IM Software Used to Create Huge Botnets I posted about how hackers are using instant messaging software to create huge botnets of computers, and how Facetime communications employees, including Wayne Porter and Chris Boyd, discovered these two botnets that were being used to scan desktop systems and shopping carts for vulnerabilities, to obtain credit card numbers, bank accounts, and personal information.

Jeff Molander has posted an audioblog interview with Wayne and Chris where they discuss this and how they found them. They discuss this new Dark Economy underground where new exploits can be worth thousands of dollars, where credit card numbers and paypal accounts are traded for goods, services, personal details, new exploits and more. This organized cyber crime is growing under our noses and will only get worse and more sophisticated as it is allowed to grow and flourish. It’s a great interview and well worth the listen. Click here to listen to part one of the interview.