In the era of increasing cybercrimes, hacking is no longer a skill reserved for highly qualified computer science professionals. Recent reports from Deloitte titled Black Market Ecosystem: Estimating the Cost of “Pwnership”, show an economy built around hacking tools that don’t require a computer science degree.
Hence, this calls for a reassessment of your institution’s overall IT security policies.
How does the New Hacking Ecosystem Work?
Every business needs the right type of tools to work effectively. Cybercriminals purchase the right hacking tools using the Dark Web ecosystem. There are hacking tools available for cybercriminals of all types – starting from amateur hackers to veteran hackers. While amateurs can use the hacking tools as it is, veteran hackers can easily make major alterations.
Hence, as a business, you need to enhance your IT security to tackle advanced threats.
Hacking Costs vs Payouts
Researchers put forth different prices for the hacking tools. Amateurs can obtain data harvesting and phishing kits at a small amount of $28. Others can cost a whopping $1601. Also, the price of a complete ransomware kit ranges from $391-$1044. Hence, by starting small, hackers can aspire to get huge chunks of payments. The potential economic damage that these hackers can cause is $600 billion/year (approx.).
How to Tackle Cybercriminals
To tackle cybercrime, you shouldn’t focus on a cyber tool for a long time. This methodology can become counter-productive. Instead, it is better to monitor the behavior of the hackers for a long time to come out with a defensive strategy. With cost-effective tracking strategies, you can strengthen your organization and prevent cyberattacks even before they can threaten your business.
MyTek has the right security tools and resources to help you strengthen your infrastructure against cyber threats. To learn more about our security offerings, call us at (623)312-2440 for a free IT assessment.