Hacking groups offer $100k/month to "Pentesters"
Individuals are drawn to the “dark side” for various reasons, with the obvious one being easy money. In 2020, the prime reason was COVID lockdowns, however, the recent tech lay-offs have become an emerging motivator, with professionals seeking alternative forms of income for greater stability. Turns out illegal activity offers that stability.
Enigmatic realms of the dark web, otherwise known as “forums”, are being used by threat actors to attract talent into their groups.
According to Kaspersky’s analysis of 150 forums from Jan 20 to Jun 22, there were more than 200,000 job-related ads on dark web forums. The study examined 867 ads, 638 job vacancy postings and 229 resumes.
Example of job posting #2
Individuals are drawn to the “dark side” for various reasons, with the obvious one being easy money. In 2020, the prime reason was COVID lockdowns, however, the recent tech lay-offs have become an emerging motivator, with professionals seeking alternative forms of income for greater stability. Turns out illegal activity offers that stability.
Here’s where your assumptions about dark web employment (if you had any), go out the window. Like any modern enterprise, threat actors adhere to selection criteria, compensation parameters and employment terms.
Their selection of professionals focuses on skill levels, and include test assignments (82% of job postings), CV/portfolio (37%), and interviews (26%). One job offer required a multi-step screening with a 24-hour challenge to encrypt a test DLL to be undetectable by anti-virus software.
To attract talent, dark web employers offer various job packages, including remote work (45%), full-time positions (34%), and flexible hours (33%). One job posting promised candidates around $300 in Bitcoin to complete a coding test.
Other benefits included paid time off, sick leave, and a “friendly work environment”. Some employers also offered employee referral programs. The downside to all this (other than getting caught and thrown in jail) is the dark web job market lacks legally binding employment contracts. Obviously.
Now, the question you’ve been waiting for…how much do they pay?
Well, according to the study, the highest-paying job was coding, which offered a maximum of $20,000 per month. Compensation often increases based on performance, contributions, and the organization's success, with payments typically in cryptocurrency.
Beyond that study, there have been cases reported where employers would offer up to $100,000 per month, as shown below:
Job posting for $100,000 per month
…and if you can’t read Russian, here’s what Google Translate says it says:
Who ever said crime doesn't pay?
Peace,
The Hack Watcher Team