Swiss cybersecurity company Prodaft has initiated a program to purchase verified and aged accounts on hacking forums, aiming to infiltrate and monitor cybercriminal activities from within these communities.
The initiative, named “Sell Your Source,” involves acquiring established accounts on cybercrime forums to gain insider access and gather intelligence on illicit operations. Prodaft has advertised this program directly on hacking forums, utilizing an older account on the Russian-speaking XSS cybercrime forum to promote the account purchasing scheme.
Prodaft evaluates each account individually, with pricing dependent on various factors, and is currently interested in accounts from specific forums, though this focus may change over time.
It is particularly interested in buying accounts from XSS, Exploit.in, RAMP4U, Verified, and Breachforums cybercrime forums, and offers to pay extra for accounts with moderator or administrator privileges.
The firm has established standards for the purchase. They will only accept accounts created before December 2022 and the accounts must not have engaged in cybercrime or unethical activities in the past. Also, they will not purchase accounts on the FBI’s or other law enforcement’s most wanted list.
While they will communicate with law enforcement they will keep purchase details confidential.
By integrating into these forums, Prodaft aims to collect real-time intelligence on cybercriminal operations, enhancing their ability to detect and respond to emerging threats. This approach reflects a growing trend among cybersecurity firms to adopt proactive measures in monitoring and countering cybercrime.
