{"id":130669,"date":"2021-10-22T06:22:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T13:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=130669"},"modified":"2025-05-19T19:28:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T02:28:19","slug":"organized-cybercrime-the-big-business-behind-hacks-and-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/organized-cybercrime-the-big-business-behind-hacks-and-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Organized Cybercrime: The Big Business Behind Hacks and Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There\u2019s a person behind every cybercrime. That\u2019s easy to lose sight of. After all, cybercrime can feel a little anonymous, like a computer is doing the\u00a0attacking\u00a0instead of a person. Yet people are indeed behind these attacks, and over the years they\u2019ve been getting organized\u2014where cybercriminals structure and run their operations in ways that darkly mirror the workings of a real business.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Funny, the notion of hackers running an illegal business just like a regular business. But there you go. What works,\u00a0apparently works.\u00a0So,\u00a0let\u2019s\u00a0take a closer look at how organized crime goes about its business\u2014and get a little more insight into how we can protect ourselves in the process.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A classic notion of the cybercriminal is that of a lone hacker, donning a hoodie in a dimly lit room and chipping away at the networks and devices of a business or household. That does happen, such as in the case of the former engineer accused of<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Yet increasingly, attacks are orchestrated efforts.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">More and more of\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europol.europa.eu\/activities-services\/main-reports\/internet-organised-crime-threat-assessment-iocta-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">today\u2019s cybercrime is a distributed, international affair that relies on several bad actors to see it through<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. This takes the form of organized crime groups with ringleaders located in one country and developers in others, further supported by operations, marketing, finance, and call center teams in yet other locations\u2014just like a legitimate business, strange as it seems.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How Does It Work?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What does that look like in real life? Consider a practical example: an identity theft ring sets up a series of phony websites to hijack personal information. There\u2019s a lot of work that goes into putting up those websites, so let\u2019s start there and see who could be involved. From there, we can work our way up the chain of cybercrime\u00a0organizations. For starters:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are the sites themselves. An individual or team codes the site in their location and then hosts them on servers in other locations, often different countries.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There\u2019s a creative team that designed and wrote the sites in such a way that they look convincing enough to potential victims such that they fall for the scam.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Another team takes on a marketing role, where they\u2019re charged with promoting those phony sites to lure in victims through phony emails, ads, and paid search results designed to look like the real thing.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">An analytics team determines which lures are the most effective. From there, they share these findings so that the most effective of the phony emails, ads, and search results get used\u2014they may fine-tune the phony websites for performance as well.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Other Cybercriminal Activities<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And that\u2019s just for starters. There\u2019s plenty of activity that follows once victims share their personal info on that phony site, spanning yet more business roles:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A data\u00a0team\u00a0harvests the stolen data and packages it up for use, whether by the same cybercrime organization or via sale on a dark web marketplace.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A finance team that handles and launders funds as needed\u2014and then pays out partners, employees, and ringleaders of the organization.\u00a0Plus,\u00a0it will cover any operational costs like equipment and services used.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A managerial layer may also exist to keep operations running smoothly, coordinating the efforts of all the teams and offering reports to (ring)leadership.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"6\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The ringleaders themselves\u2014the ones who conceived this scam, set it in motion, and reap the big dollars from it. Of note, these people may not be technically minded at all. But they are crooks.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stepping back and looking at this example, you can see how there are several distinct skillsets at play here. While small groups of hackers could pull off something similar, the most effective of these scams will have a relatively large staff in place to ensure it runs effectively. This is just one broad example, yet it does serve to remind us that sophisticated cybercrime can have a sophisticated organization behind it.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Other examples include\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aarp.org\/money\/scams-fraud\/info-2021\/international-tech-support-scam-exposed.html\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">tech support scams that run their own call support centers<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, corporate ransomware attacks where scammers hijack the company\u2019s social media accounts and shame them into paying. There are yet more examples of bogus call centers, like the ones that will walk individual victims through the process of paying off a ransomware attack with cryptocurrency. Once again, quite an operation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Back to the lone hacker in a hoodie for a moment. They\u2019re still out there. In fact, many of them are enabled by larger cybercrime organizations. This can happen in several ways:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Take the phony website example above. The crooks who stole that information may not use it themselves. They may sell it to other cyber crooks for profit instead. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Additionally, larger organizations will sell their malicious code in kits to non-technical and semi-technical hackers so that those crooks can commit crimes of their own.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u00b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"7\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Some organized cybercrime organizations will simply hire themselves out as a service, unleashing phony website scams like mentioned above, distributed denial of service attacks that flood internet traffic to a halt, and several other types of crime\u2014for the right price.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It\u2019s\u00a0a marketplace out there, where our data\u00a0acts as\u00a0a kind of currency\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0traded and sold by operators large and small.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So yes, there\u2019s a person behind every cybercrime. And then there\u2019s you. Along with all things you can do to stop them.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Earlier this year,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/the-new-mcafee-a-bold-new-world-of-protection-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">I shared how McAfee now solely focuses on people<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Organized cybercrime is just one of the many reasons why. While different devices may come and go in our lives, our data always follows us\u2014the very things cybercriminals are after. It\u2019s people who need protection. By protecting you, your identity, and your privacy,\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">along with<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0your devices, we protect you from threats like these,\u00a0whether\u00a0they stem from a small-time crook or an organized crime gang. Even lone hackers in hoodies.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To me, the solution looks something like this: you\u2019re out there enjoying the internet without having to look over your shoulder. You\u2019re just safe. And living your life.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So as cybercrime becomes more sophisticated, we\u2019re becoming yet more sophisticated at McAfee. And it\u2019s you entirely with you in mind. Online protection should come naturally and give you the confidence to go about your day\u2014protection that is personalized, intelligent, and easier to use so that it adapts based on what you\u2019re doing and what you need at any given moment. That\u2019s our aim. Ease. Freedom. Particularly in a time when criminals are trying their hardest to make you their business as you go about yours.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a person behind every cybercrime. That\u2019s easy to lose sight of. After all, cybercrime can feel a little anonymous,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":674,"featured_media":130675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10661],"tags":[10771,76,10774],"coauthors":[3973],"class_list":["post-130669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-security","tag-cyber-crime","tag-cybercrime","tag-organized-cybercrime"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Organized Cybercrime: The Big Business Behind Hacks and Attacks | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s a person behind every cybercrime. That\u2019s easy to lose sight of. 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