Hacking: The Next Generation

Chapter 7. Infiltrating the Phishing Underground: Learning from Online Criminals?

The goal of this book is to illustrate the techniques of the new generation of attackers, of which phishers are a unique bunch. Phishers are a nuisance to businesses and legal authorities and can cause a significant amount of damage to a person’s financial reputation. In this chapter, we will put the phishing ecosystem under the microscope to study how things work in the world of the average phisher so that you can see what you can learn from him and about him. The new generation of hackers is not limited to those who are able to launch complex attacks, but also includes those who can continue to cause damage using the simplest of techniques. As such, a book discussing the new generation of hackers cannot be deemed complete without an analysis of the phishing underground. The material in this chapter is not only relevant to the topic at hand, but it also includes a few real-world scenarios to learn from.

The phishing industry has become a significant menace to society. Businesses stand to lose revenue and brand reputation while thousands of individuals have their identities stolen and abused on a daily basis. Companies that are the target of phishing attacks are struggling to combat the problem. Even federal authorities have limited power to assist in cases where computers in foreign companies are abused to launch phishing attacks; unlike the Internet, legal authority does have geographical boundaries. ...