Disclaimer
The information provided in this post is intended for educational and research purposes only. It is not intended to encourage or condone any illegal activities. Hiring a hacker or engaging in any form of unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal and can result in severe legal consequences. It is crucial to always respect the law and refrain from participating in criminal activities.
How much does it cost to hire a hacker ?
Do you want to launch a phishing campaign, DDoS attack, or alter school grades? The Dark Web has a hacker for hire waiting to fulfil your digital desires. But how much will this cybercrime cost you?
Some background
The Dark Web is a haven for cybercriminals, offering a wide range of illicit services. According to cybersecurity experts at Avast, the Dark Web is estimated to contain tens of millions of websites and thousands of forums and marketplaces. This staggering scale ensures that finding a hacker-for-hire is a relatively simple task. In this post, I’ll focus on some social engineering costs.
Social engineering attacks
In recent years, we have seen that more than 95% of the breaches involve social engineering. The initial vector majorly passes all technology, using the people in the company. In the first half of 2024, the average extortion demand per ransomware attack was $5.2 million.
Phishing as a service
Phishing is the term for the email that the target will receive, but there is a robust infrastructure behind it: fake websites to steal credentials, malware to carry ransomware, email servers, and more. An average phishing kit costs $1,500 per month. This includes fake websites starting at $50, malware-as-a-service subscriptions at $150 monthly, cookie grabber pages at $400, and more.
Targeted social engineering attack
A dark web social engineer that targets a person or organization will cost $40 to $55 per hour.
Social media accounts hack
To execute sophisticated attacks, hackers use someone else account to contact the victim. As a side channel, a hired hacker will try to break into a social media account for $200 and up to $600.
Fake company
A hacker for hire can establish a fake company for $2,500. That includes - website, social network accounts, fake employees, fake HR, etc.
Uneven fight
The significant difference in cost between launching and defending against a cyber attack underscores the asymmetrical nature of cybersecurity, making defending against cyberattacks challenging.