"Honour Among Thieves: The Study of a Cybercrime Marketplace in Action"
Researchers at the Cambridge Cybercrime Center conducted a study on an underground cybercrime forum. They collected and examined data on illicit trades from HackForums, the largest and most popular online cybercrime community. Online underground forums such as HackForums are used to trade illicit material and share knowledge. These forums support various cybercrimes as they allow members to engage in criminal activities such as performing Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, distributing malware, and more. The study of HackForums provides insight into the contracts made in these forums to prevent trades from being abused and to ensure that members are not being scammed. The researchers are continuing the study to see how the marketplace evolves during the second COVID-19 lockdown in the UK. This article continues to discuss the discoveries made from the analysis of illicit trades on HackForums.