For sale: Access to your company network. Price: Less than you'd think

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There's a batch of stolen data, some idiosyncratic and corporate, for merchantability connected the Dark Web. A information of the accusation for merchantability is guaranteed entree to secured firm networks, and Atlas VPN is reporting that 45% of those income are little than $1,000, making entree to a secured web perchance cheaper than buying the malware tools utilized to further exploit the compromised network.

Atlas VPN drew its information from Positive Technologies, and concludes that the cybercrime satellite was flooded with caller aspiring hackers during the pandemic "trying to gain a speedy subordinate disconnected radical and organizations that did not found a reliable information system." 

SEE: Security incidental effect policy (TechRepublic Premium)

In 2017, Atlas VPN notes, lone 15% of archetypal entree income were priced little than $1,000. "Between Q2 2020 and Q1 2021, the complaint has risen to what it is now," Atlas VPN said. 

Several factors spell into determining the price: "The fig of computers to beryllium exposed, relationship privileges, concern size, gross and different fiscal indicators. Also, the terms of entree could beryllium impacted by the manufacture successful which the institution is operating," Atlas VPN said. 

Plenty of income inactive interruption the $1K mark, though: 22% are priced betwixt $1,000 and $2,499, 17% from $2,500 to $4,999, 9% from $5,000 to $9,999 and the remaining 7% were implicit $10K. 

Network entree to companies successful the services manufacture were the astir commonly found, accounting for 17%, which Atlas VPN attributes to the precocious measurement of delicate lawsuit info recovered successful those company's systems. Manufacturing was the 2nd astir communal with 14%. Followed by the probe and acquisition assemblage astatine 12%, and IT astatine 7%. The remaining 26% is composed of companies successful different industries. 

"Low-priced entree is usually sold by inexperienced, wannabe hackers who mightiness not adjacent travel done with the attack. Despite that, the rising percent of inexpensive entree means that galore new, less-skilled cybercriminals entered the market, and they could go much unsafe successful the future," Atlas VPN said. 

SEE: How to negociate passwords: Best practices and information tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

For businesses acrophobic astir their information oregon entree to their networks being sold connected the Dark Web, monitoring tools are available that alert subscribers successful real-time to information recovered for sale, which tin assistance companies respond instantly to imaginable breaches. 

In addition, practicing bully cybersecurity habits and taking steps to generally support your organization are an indispensable portion of defending against information breaches connected the Dark Web and different types of attacks. 

Also spot

• How to go a cybersecurity pro: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
• Security threats connected the horizon: What IT pro's request to cognize (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
• Checklist: Securing integer information (TechRepublic Premium)
• Cybersecurity and cyberwar: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)