"Metaparasites & the Dark Web: Scammers Turn on Their Own"

Cybercriminals are typically considered parasites that feed on various victims, but they have become targets themselves as there are "metaparasites" going to dark web marketplaces to find their own set of targets. Metaparasites present the unintended consequence of exposing threat intelligence to researchers, including contact and location information for cybercriminals. Sophos senior threat researcher Matt Wixey spoke about the metaparasite ecosystem in a session titled "Scammers Who Scam Scammers, Hackers Who Hack Hackers" at Black Hat Europe 2022. According to research he conducted with his colleague Angela Gunn, the underground economy is rife with a diverse set of fraudsters who successfully extract millions of dollars per year from other cybercriminals. The researchers examined data from three dark web forums over a 12-month period and discovered thousands of successful scam attempts. Over the course of a year, scammers defrauded users of these forums out of approximately $2.5 million. The amounts per scam can range from $2 to the low six figures. Cybercriminals have been observed using various tactics on these forums, but one of the most common is the "rip and run." A buyer receives goods such as an exploit but fails to pay for them, or a seller is paid but fails to deliver on what was promised. Scammers have left the marketplace and refused to respond to any inquiries. It is the dark web's equivalent of the dine-and-dash tactic. There are also a lot of scammers selling fake goods, such as nonexistent cryptocurrency accounts, macro builders that do not build anything malicious, fake data, or databases that are either already public or have previously been leaked. This article continues to discuss findings from the investigation of metaparasites on dark web forums and how these findings can help security researchers. 

Dark Reading reports "Metaparasites & the Dark Web: Scammers Turn on Their Own"