Hacking Kits Sold on eBay

The auction Website eBay was selling hacking kits that helped people hack the computers.

An array of CDs, DVDs and programs were found for sale on eBay claiming to teach the amateur hackers how to break into the compute. It was found by research security experts.

Even inexperienced hackers could hack into their victim's computers as the program teaches basics of computer hacking. They could also mask their identities. For instances, a CD on sale claiming for educational use only promises to teach the way to hack other's computers, and contained many programs used for hacking commonly.

There is another CD, which has e-mail bombers through which thousands of spam messages could be sent, mostly with viruses. Software was also on sale that can be used to hack into passwords and protected files.

This type of trade normally takes place in remote corners of Internet (though such software could either be downloaded for free of cost or sold in black market).

According to Geoff Sweeney of the security company Tier-3, this development is a very serious one and dangerous as it is giving access of hacking tools to almost all the Internet users, reported Guardian.co.uk on 21st September 2007.

The supplies of such tools and software that give information on committing crimes have been declared illegal after the 2006 amendment in Computer Misuse Act. However, there is disclaimer with the tools when they are sold or declared to be sold for use of so-called ethical hacking, where legitimate security researchers are testing to find loops.

eBay claimed that it was helping in preventing the illegal sale of the kits, reported Guardian.co.uk. It also said that there have detailed and rigid rules that permit only legitimate sales and that lot of work is done to confirm the upholding of rules.

The concern over the availability of hacking tools is not new. A new batch of computer hacking programs were discovered on eBay this month, which also included a program made by Russian hackers, facilitating even amateur hackers to get a complete insight of the entire hacking business.

Related article: Hacking Attacks Are Increasing to Haunt Banks

» SPAMfighter News - 10/9/2007