Hackers for hire: How online forums make cybercrime easier than ever

A major cybercrime forum was just taken down by coordinated action between law enforcement agencies in nearly 20 countries. But that site, called Darkode, is just one of many forums that have become the primary hub for criminal hackers. US Attorney David J. Hickton of the Western District of Pennsylvania said there are "roughly 800 criminal Internet forums worldwide" and that Darkode was "the most sophisticated English-speaking forum for criminal computer hackers in the world.” Some of the forums can only be accessed using the anonymous browsing tool Tor, Samani said, but others are searchable from the public Internet.

Darkode was a password-protected forum where prospective members were allegedly vetted by showing off their hacking skills, according to the Department of Justice. Some researchers and journalists, including Brian Krebs, were able to infiltrate the site -- as was the FBI. These forums and black markets offering physical goods as well as digital services -- such as the now defunct Silk Road -- have helped drive the popularity of cybercrime, because the sites contain almost everything someone would need to get into hacking for profit, Samani said. Even those without technical knowledge can visit the forums or black markets and hire people to do the individual components of a scam -- or outsource it altogether in a subcontractor-style set up, he said. As the Darkode takedown appears to show, forums can allow for international cybercrime collaboration.