In recent years, cybercrime on social media has dramatically shifted. Once only confined to the corners of the dark web, hackers are now openly offering their unethical and illegal services on mainstream social media platforms like LinkedIn and Telegram. This trend is promoting online criminal activities and making the internet increasingly unsafe for the average user.

Cybercrime on Social Media
Image Source: RedTeam Cybersecurity Labs

On the surface web, individuals can now hire trained software and online security professionals virtually to perform any unethical task. These tasks range from creating phishing webpages, coding malware, and exploiting vulnerabilities, to breaching PC antivirus systems and hacking social media profiles. Cybersecurity expert Prateek Dubey said that hackers are exploiting these social media sites to reach a wider audience, noting that “their profiles can’t be taken down if they are not reported.”

Corporate Espionage and Cybercrime on Social Media

One of the major concerns is that companies are hiring unethical hackers for corporate espionage. These hackers infiltrate the IT systems of rival organisations to steal sensitive information. This stolen information can then be used to gain an advantage or sold for financial gain. Such activities erode the foundation of fair business practices and give rise to the significant risks to the integrity of corporate data.

In addition, the hacking of social media accounts is a severe threat to individual privacy. Hackers often use compromised accounts for blackmail and extortion, creating a pervasive sense of insecurity among social media users.

Although contacting these hackers has become relatively easier, they have now turned to anonymous modes of communication through discreet messaging applications that do not store metadata. These applications use encrypted chat rooms, making it challenging to trace the communications. This shift to more secure communication methods adds to more difficulty for law enforcement agencies attempting to crack down on these illegal activities.

The availability of malicious scripts and applications in open-source repositories further adds to the issue. These repositories make it easy for even less skilled hackers and enthusiasts to gain entry into the field of cybercrime. The source code for ransomware and malware is readily available, and attackers often use customised versions of these codes generated using AI-based language models. This democratisation of hacking tools and knowledge lowers the barrier to entry, leading to an increase in the number of cybercriminals.

The internet is also filled with tutorials that provide step-by-step guides for various unethical hacking tasks. These guides are often utilised by tech-savvy anti-social elements who wish to engage in cybercrime. Experts believe that the social media profiles of hackers are also designed to attract the attention of cybersecurity recruiters who run covert, and sometimes illegal, operations for corporations and governments. The extent of these operations was highlighted earlier this year when the internal files of a Chinese government contractor were leaked, revealing the extent to which hackers are hired for unethical operations.

To combat this growing threat, government agencies like the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) are keeping a constant watch on the internet to dismantle such networks.

Cybersecurity expert Prateek Dubey highlights a three-step approach employed by these agencies. “Firstly, they employ social media analysis and AI to identify keywords like ‘hiring for hackers.’ Secondly, they monitor and interact with identified channels or groups, often using bots. They also monitor the dark web, posing as genuine buyers to dismantle illicit operations,” he told India Today.

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