The Cybercriminal Market Thrives Through Competition and Variety

Security researchers from Panda Security who recently analyzed the state of the cybercriminal market, concluded that it is more active then ever and offers a wide variety of services and price plans.

Stolen credit card information is the most common good sold and bought on the undeground market, primarily because it is easy to profit from it.

There's an entire ecosystem built around this market sector and the prices are tailored to everyone's needs.

Unverified credit card information can be acquired for as little as $2, while the price for verified card details depends on the balance of the account associated with it. It can start at around $80 and go to as much as $700 for cards with tens of thousands of dollars available.

Price can also differ depending on the card's use history. If it's commonly used for online shopping or PayPal transactions, its price is higher because the charges can go undetected for longer.

Bank account details are also available for purchase at prices between $10 and $1,500, while cloned credit cards start from $180.

For more ambitious fraudsters, card cloning equipment can be bought for between $200 and $1,000. Fully-functional ATM machines start from $3,500 and vary depending on make and model.

Complementary money laundering services are available in exchange of a 10 to 40 percent commission.

Another market segment concerns black hat search engine optimization services or  the design and development of scareware distribution pages or rogue online stores. VPN, SMTP and botnet rental services are also available to spammers for fairly low prices.

Panda Security's Luis Corrons points out the competition drives the market forward and regulates the offers and prices.

"Since there is a great deal of competition in this industry, the rule of supply and demand ensures that prices are competitive, and operators even offer bulk discounts to higher-volume buyers," the researcher writes.

In most cases potential buyers have the possibility to request a service trial or good sampling. Most negotiations are done via IM programs or throw-away email addresses and the payment is made predominantly through Western Union, Liberty Reserve and WebMoney.