"Over 100,000 Users of Hacking Forums Infected With Malware"

Security researchers at Hudson Rock have recently discovered over 140,000 breached passwords associated with accounts on hacking forums after their owners were infected with info-stealing malware.  The researchers searched their cybercrime intelligence database for infected computers with credentials associated with the top 100 cybercrime sites.  The researchers found 120,000 such computers, claiming many of these belonged to hackers.  The researchers noted that when a machine is infected with info-stealing malware, a “substantial” amount of data can be retrieved, which helps to unmask the owner, including emails and account usernames, auto-fill data containing personal information like addresses and phone numbers, and system information like IP addresses.  The researchers stated that info-stealer infections as a cybercrime trend surged by an incredible 6000% since 2018, positioning them as the primary initial attack vector used by threat actors to infiltrate organizations and execute cyberattacks, including ransomware, data breaches, account overtakes, and corporate espionage.   The researchers noted that most of the info-stealer malware found during the research was Redline, followed by Raccoon and Azorult. Those exposed in the research mainly hailed from Tunisia, followed by Malaysia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Israel.  The cybercrime forum with the most exposed infected users was “Nulled[.]to,” followed by “Cracked[.]io” and “Hackforums[.]net.”  Interestingly, the researchers discovered that most of the credentials used on the hacking sites were stronger than those used even on government and military sites.

Infosecurity reports: "Over 100,000 Users of Hacking Forums Infected With Malware"