Social media attack malware is available online for as low as $ 95.

The PandaLabs team, Panda Security's anti-malware laboratory, has tracked down and exposed a sales portal for so-called bots. The website, which is freely accessible to everyone, offers an extensive catalog of programs for criminal activities at prices ranging from 95 to 225 US dollars - or for the inexpensive package price of 4.500 US dollars. Buyers even get the guarantee that their bots cannot be detected by security programs.

Anyone who wants to earn money with Internet crime today can easily acquire the necessary computer malware on the Internet. Bots are computer programs that are secretly installed on third-party computers and that criminals repeatedly carry out independently.

This is, for example, the simultaneous creation of many accounts in an Internet portal such as YouTube or Facebook, the stealing of identities, friends, followers and contacts and the automatic sending of messages - which in turn can contain other malware such as viruses or Trojans. The bots in the sales portal exposed by Panda Security mainly attack social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Hi5, MySpace, MyYearbook, Youtube, Tuenti, Frienster, Gmail or Yahoo. Depending on their purpose, they are individually tailored to the respective portal and also carry out actions that are specially designed for social networks. For example, they automatically generate incorrect visits and hits on YouTube, optimize Alexa rankings, manipulate surveys on Digg or send unlimited messages on dating websites.
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The bot provider guarantees that his bots cannot be detected by any security solution. In addition to the constant random changes, they also bypass the CAPTCHA security mechanisms that many websites use. The customer just needs to set the parameters and the bots begin their work. CAPTCHAs are test programs that are used on the Internet to ensure that only people and not programmed bots use certain services.

“The portal even offers the possibility of making money by selling these“ products ”. These business models help develop a cyber mafia and create an organization that operates across many national borders, ”warns Luis Corrons. “Such portals do not just exist because someone creates them, but because there is a corresponding demand. Enough criminals are willing to spend money on it. As long as we don't stop this, business will flourish. " (mh)

Source: Panda Security