Infosecurity Europe: Affiliate networks are being hooked up to enable improved cyber crime

Cyber criminals are installation 'affiliate networks' of skills to raised combine talents in bypassing gateways and anti-virus and improve their malware overall.

Speaking to SC Magazine, Webroot security blogger Dancho Danchev said that there's consolidation in cyber crime as spammers and phishers are working together to form relationships 'that is best than the nice guys'. It is taking into consideration better monetisation as per-infection cash is earned and infection rates are higher thanks to a stronger quality of malware.

He said: “Someone sets up an affiliate network and sends spam and phishing messages to earn money and gather hundreds of hosts, but collectively that is a lot better than the great guys as they could earn by the success. In addition they share intelligence so the standard assurance is best.

“The managed services are offering exploits in Javascript, iFrames, Microsoft, Excel and encryption of services. You will send a file, they're going to encrypt it for you, scan it and test is against 5 or 6 anti-virus vendors and make it undetectable.”

Danchev said that the 1st affiliate network was seen in 2008 and the services have improved since then as they've got become more automated. “It is less complicated to be a cyber criminal in 2012 than it was in 2011 as this gives a managed service,” he said.

“Personally, i suspect cyber criminals are one step earlier than our industry and are acquainted with the most recent technologies.”

Danchev also said that there's no affiliate network for Macs as yet and said that there's affiliate networks for pharmaceutical spam, manufacturing networks and software and sometimes there may be eight different networks for infected PCs.