Dangerous cyber attack kits cost less than $50 on the dark web
While cyber attacks can wreak havoc on victims' devices and may end up costing a fortune to combat, the prices of the tools to carry out these attacks are shockingly low.
According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, different types of cyber attack packs, including phishing, ransomware, DDoS, and others, can be purchased for less than $50 on the dark web, with some starting as low as $5 — the price of McDonald's Big Mac.
Popular among wannabe hackers, these kits enable people with little technical knowledge to launch cyber attacks. However, some are designed to exploit the buyers themselves.
Analysts at Sectrio provided the cost of these cyber assault packs in their report The Global Threat Landscape 2022.
Remote Access Trojan/Tool (RAT), malicious software that allows one to gain full access and remote control of another device's system, is the cheapest cyber attack tool on the dark web. RAT prices start at just $5 and can go up to $45.
Phishing attack packs are also on the lower end of the price scale. In particular, the avengers whaling phishing kit costs as little as $7 on the dark web. Whaling phishing is a special type of phishing attack that targets high-level employees, such as CEOs and CFOs (whales) in order to trick them into sharing highly sensitive information or making a transfer to a fraudulent account.
Next comes the ultimate password cracking pack with instructions, demo, and help. These tools designed to discover device's passwords can be had for only $10.
For the same $10, dark web users can get a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack kit. DDoS attacks are meant to flood an attacked network with so much traffic that it becomes inaccessible to its users.
Packages containing malware (malicious software) such as viruses, worms, Trojans and other harmful computer programs, are among the cheapest cyber attack kits on the dark web as well. The ultra-dangerous malware suite costs $12. However, the dangerous malware pack 2021 edition costs almost twice as much — $21.
Rookie hackers also do not have to dig deep into their pockets to get the tools they need to get started. Hacker start-up kit can be bought for as little as $14.
Prices of basic ransomware, which employs encryption to hold victims' data at ransom, start at $15 and can go up to $76. Ransomware with source code, on the other hand, costs $50. The source code can help malicious actors customize the ransomware to their own malware campaigns. Overall, ransomware is the most popular attack type on the dark web, with the keyword appearing in 18% of discussions on the platform.
Finally, VPN breach packs can too be obtained. Their prices vary between $15 and $100.
The data leads to an unsettling revelation that cyber attacks are no longer limited to "professional" hackers. With cyber attack kits being so readily available on the dark web and the prices so low, anyone who dares step into the dark net can acquire the tools needed to launch a cyber attack. So, it is no surprise that cyber attacks surge every year.
