A Cybercriminal's Shopping List

Credit card data can be purchased for as little as $1.50; DDoS attacks cost $50 for 24 hours

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

September 11, 2010

2 Min Read
Dark Reading logo in a gray background | Dark Reading

Are you ready to get started as a fraudster? You might be able to do a fair amount of damage with just the money you have in your wallet right now.

According to cybercrime market data scheduled to be published by EMC's RSA Security unit on Monday, the cost of behaving badly online is becoming more affordable than ever.

For example, fraudsters can obtain credit card (CVV2) data for around $1.50 to $3, according to RSA. Social Security numbers and dates of birth can be obtained for about the same price. "Full" data sets -- including the consumer's online banking credentials (e.g., username and password), mailing address, card number, CVV2 code, card's expiration date, data of birth, and SSN -- go for $5 to $20.

Online banking accounts can be purchased for $50 to $1,000 per account, depending on the account type and balance, according to the RSA data. A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack service costs about $50 for each 24 hours when launched at a single target.

Want to really get into the business? "Bulletproof" hosting services -- the hosting of malicious content on law enforcement-resistant platforms -- can be leased for as little as $87 to $179 a month, according to RSA. A Zeus Trojan kit goes for $3,000 to $4,000.

"A cybercriminal can procure credit card data for as little as the price of a latt," RSA says in its report. "What may seem marginal enough at first sight may carry the potential for heavy losses to consumers, banks, and credit card associations involved.

"Various fraud products and services are sold in the underground for not more than $50, but can be associated with the loss of thousands of dollars in the end," RSA continues. "Worse yet, in the case of consumers, one can never put a price tag on the loss of privacy.

"Even when looking at the relatively high price of Trojans, which may cost up to thousands of dollars per kit, the initial cost is not very telling of the massive damage and monetary losses it is capable of perpetrating in a rather short time span," RSA states.

Have a comment on this story? Please click "Discuss" below. If you'd like to contact Dark Reading's editors directly, send us a message.

About the Author

Dark Reading Staff

Dark Reading

Dark Reading is a leading cybersecurity media site.

Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights