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Legally Designed Cloud Computing Used for Malicious Purposes

Ed Skoudis, Founder of InGuardians (a security consultancy firm) says that hackers' groups are utilizing authentic 'cloud services' like 'Amazon' for cracking passwords and creating malware, as reported by V3 on March 4, 2010. Skoudis was speaking at the RSA 2010 conference in San Francisco.

According to Ed Skoudis, the RBN (Russian Business Network), a very powerful organization for extensive hacking and malware activities, has been using the EC2 cloud platform of Amazon. The purpose is to both crack passwords and build malware.

Skoudis further said that cyber criminals just like security professionals could employ the cloud for improving their operations. With the help of Amazon cloud, the RBN has been trying to get the same benefits as good security people enjoy. The cloud provided numerous password-hacking programs to the RBN, which also used it for carrying out enormous SEO poisoning assaults.

The RBN, operating from northern Russia, is a large and highly proficient hacking group globally. Initially, it had begun with the business of pornography, but very rapidly took to malware dealings. Currently, it offers malware services and supplies fake identities and stolen credit card details.

According to the other security specialists, malware and hacking perpetrators utilize normal cloud services.

Commenting on the advanced approaches of hackers, the security experts stated that IT organizations expended massive sums on R&D to make the most of up-to-date technologies thereby enhancing their software programs. However, it seemed that cyber criminals also did the same, and the approach apparently worked out fine.

Thus, cloud computing and security exploits all represent appropriate instances of tools, which are capable of assisting both well-intended users and hackers in carrying out their businesses better.

Miscreants further employ Search Engine Optimization to boost the rankings of their malicious websites near the top search results. Malware and trojans that are remotely controlled and which change form whenever they're executed demonstrate how malware creation is being innovated.

Skoudis concluded that attackers possessed dependable business models, which entailed extra money for R&D into malware and thus improving it overtime, as reported by ChannelWeb on March 2, 2010.

Related article: Local Internet Crime Gang Busted in South Africa, 13 Held

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