"Cybercriminals Use Research Contests to Create New Attack Methods"

According to Sophos, adversary-sponsored research contests on cybercriminal forums focus on novel attack and evasion techniques. The contests mirror legitimate security conference 'Call For Papers' and provide winners with monetary rewards, peer recognition, and employment opportunities. A new report from Sophos X-Ops says these contests prompt innovation, and when the entries are analyzed, they provide helpful insight into how cybercriminals attempt to overcome security obstacles. Cybercriminal forum competitions have evolved over the years, as earlier cybercrime contests consisted of trivia quizzes, graphic design competitions, and guessing games. Now, these forums invite attackers to submit articles on technical topics, including source code, videos, and/or screenshots. This article continues to discuss adversary-sponsored research contests on cybercriminal forums. 

Help Net Security reports "Cybercriminals Use Research Contests to Create New Attack Methods"