"Hacktivists Fund Their Operations Using Common Cybercrime Tactics"

Hacktivist groups that operate for political or ideological reasons use various strategies to finance their operations. Although hacktivism appears to be about inflicting service disruption through Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks or reputational damage through data leaks, the modus operandi of these threat groups spans a larger array of operations, including common cybercrime strategies, according to the cyber intelligence company KELA. These tactics include stealing and selling data, selling malware and botnet licenses, demanding ransom from victims, and even offering hack-for-hire services that target non-political entities. For example, the pro-Russia hacktivist group KillNet promoted a botnet-for-hire in November 2021, but their monetization methods grew significantly in 2023. KillNet introduced a hack-for-hire service in March 2023, a new DDoS-for-hire service in July 2023, and a 'Dark School' training program in May 2023, selling nine hacking courses to hackers. This article continues to discuss the different ways in which hacktivists fund their operations. 

Bleeping Computer reports "Hacktivists Fund Their Operations Using Common Cybercrime Tactics"