The obscure universe of hacking forums and cybercrime

Reserved, strategic, and mysterious — these are just a few adjectives that could be used to describe Hanna, a young woman who has always been restless due to the strict way she was raised by her parents. Her distaste for people who “talk too much and listen too little” has always deprived her of a large circle of friends. So, she decided to take advantage of her own natural interest in technology as a distraction, which ranged from reading science fiction books to spending hours on the computer trying to understand how the Internet works. That curiosity would change her life forever.

One day, Hanna went so deep into the web that she discovered the dark universe of cybercriminal forums and communities. She witnessed, in shock, crackers sharing techniques to break into other people's machines, scammers teaching how to prepare phishing campaigns, and loads of leaked personal data being offered at reasonable prices — a true street market of names, documents, and even credit cards. She had entered the underworld of cybercriminals.

Her life would change forever. Unhappy with the ease with which such criminals organize and collaborate to prey on innocent Internet users, Hanna decided to use her knowledge of technology (including her innate abilities to identify fraud and files potentially contaminated with malware) in favor of society. It didn't take long for her talent to be noticed by Lenda, founder of Hackers Rangers, who soon invited her to join the team of benefactors. Now, she tirelessly fights to make people aware of the risks and threats that prowl the web.

"Street market" of personal data

You've certainly heard of the deep web — the “darker” part of the Internet, which is not indexed by search engines and cannot be accessed by traditional browsers. In the classic iceberg analogy, the deep web is the largest part of the glacier, which is invisible below the sea surface: what we access and visualize in our daily lives is just the tip of this gigantic mass of ice. Everything else is difficult to trace, which makes it the most fitting place possible to practice cybercrime.

In fact, the deep web is the elite cybercriminals’ favorite place to communicate. However, those who think it is the only one are wrong. Nowadays, evildoers use the surface web and get away with it — you can find groups in message platforms like Telegram and in forums easily located through Google. One of these communities is known for being a marketplace for leaked databases. Cybercriminals use this space to advertise data sets and market them at varying prices.

In addition to buying and selling data, such forums also serve as a place for the free sharing of scam strategies, like guides for exploiting vulnerabilities, and even some “ready-to-use” malware that can be modified to suit the customer's taste. It is surprising to know that many of these virtual spaces have remained open for years without the authorities taking the necessary measures to shut them down.

We can beat them together!

As Hanna found out, cybercrime is becoming highly organized. If we used to think about cybercriminals as solitary people acting independently, today there are gangs and international networks collaborating with the sole purpose of making a profit on unsuspecting victims. They may be intelligent and strategic but, together, we can protect ourselves against this ominous underworld. The first step, of course, is to become aware of the threats in the cyber world and learn to identify the risks we face in our daily lives.

Learn more about Hanna

Age: 25
Likes: Dystopia books, sci-fi series and video games
Dislikes: Instrumental music, chatty people, and ill will
Hobbies: Mountaineering and skateboarding
Personality: Mysterious, strategic and careful

— "Speaking is a need, listening is an art." (Hanna, Hacker Rangers)