China’s cyber criminals are becoming more global – Epoch Times Sweden (press release)

Joshua Philipp – The Epoch Times 2016-02-22 21:06

A report of the study group Flashpoint show that Chinese cybercriminals are developing their business and become more global. The people in the picture has nothing to do with the article. (Photo: Gou Yige / AFP / Getty Images)

China’s cyber criminals have become more organized, and keeps on building a stronger presence in international markets and Internet forums used iT criminals.

Flashpoint, a group that investigated the internets ‘dark’ parts, released February 19 a report saying that China has long had a large and relatively stable group of the web’s underworld, but it now is changing.

“Deep web” is an invisible part of the internet. A large part consists only of code and data, other parts are web pages that are not searchable in Google, or that are password protected.

But there is a part of the lower web world, sometimes called “darknet”, and can only be accessed with a special software. It is an illegal market, where you can do everything from buying drugs to hire “torpedoes” to threaten, mistreat or kill anyone. There is also sold stolen data and new tools for criminal activity on the Internet.

“According to the report, many Chinese cybercriminals are starting to enter the forums within the Russian underworld instead of build their own systems. “

Less professional

” Most of the trading is done via automatic trading venues and platforms that caters to a wide audience, where it barely requires any contact between sellers and buyers, “says the report.

There have always been many Chinese cybercriminals on the darknet, but they have previously been poorly organized and comparatively less professional.

While other Internet criminals have digital storefronts where they sell stolen credit cards or data, Chinese cybercriminals often continued to use direct communications to individual stores.

often used tools Tieba Baidu and QQ Messenger. It is roughly comparable to using Google Chat or Instant Messenger to sell stolen goods.

Sometimes they advertised through their criminal online activity on regular forums, including at sites where people discuss real estate, gaming and entertainment .

Change in recent years

This is in sharp contrast to the professionalism and maturity that characterizes the Russian underworld, where direct transactions only occur in really big business.

But the past year there has been a change in the Chinese internet crime.

Read more: REVIEW: China’s international theft industry

researchers at Flashpoint, who followed Chinese cybercriminals on the darknet during 2015 has seen more and more signs that they are about to grow and branch out internationally.

According to the report, many Chinese cybercriminals are starting to enter the forums within the Russian underworld in place to build up their own systems.

the report notes that the Chinese probably chose the Russian system because they do not have such strict criteria. Usually accept the users who neither speaks Russian or English.

So far we seem therefore have only seen the beginning of this shift, but if the Chinese joins a larger cyberbrottsnät may result in a more globalized structure IT crime.

Topics: cyber warfare darknet