10 Ways to Make Money
Illegally as a Hackers
[Updated Guide]
Most hackers are rich because they are in great demand. But some of them want more
than just monthly paychecks. They want to control their earning and make them
limitless, thus creating the idea of making money illegally. So if you are a hacker and
seeking some illegal ways to make money, I will show you how hackers make money
illegally in this post.
One of the significant ways hackers make money illegally is by credit card data
theft and sales. According to Statista, wire transfer fraud resulted in losses
amounting to 439 million U.S. dollars happened alone in 2019.
The majority of this amount was taken by hackers who are always on the prowl
and looking for security lapses from credit card owners and companies.
Asides from credit card data theft, there are also other ways hackers make
money illegally, and we will be explaining all the strategies below.
10 Ways Hackers Make Money Illegally
Compromised Email Address Sale ($20 – $200)
Selling compromised business email addresses in several online black markets is
one of the most significant illegal revenue sources for hackers. The list is not only
sold to online retailers and marketing companies, they are also sold to
scammers who are involved in the BCE scams.
The scammers take these emails and infiltrate a company, where they can track
payment messages, change the bank account details where payment should
go into theirs and get paid – instead of the original recipient.
Companies, businesses, and individuals lose over Two Billion Dollars on BCE
scams worldwide every year.
Most hackers don’t take a large chunk of these amounts since they are only
interested in selling the emails and data to scammers involved actively in the
scam.
On a typical online black market, one thousand emails will cost within the range
of $20 to $200, depending on their quality. With an increased volume of emails,
scammers are sure to earn massive amounts.
Ransomware Attacks (Price is limitless)
These attacks are also known as crypto lockers, and they are viruses that
encrypt data from the personal computer of a victim. Without the key, the
owner of a computer can’t access the files on the P.C. again.
This is a blackmailing attack and can be used to extort several thousands of
dollars from the victim. To develop these extortion and blackmail tool could cost
several thousands of dollars but gives hackers huge returns once they launch
them on their victims.
According to some sources, a city in the United States paid hackers
approximately $900,000 to retrieve their data. As a hacker, you can earn millions
of dollars monthly if you target a suitable victim.
Malware and Botnet Sales ($100,000 – $500,000)
This is another popular but less common method that shows how hackers steal
money. Once there’s a security breach or exploit, cyber-security experts release
patches and updates, which leaves a never-ending race between hackers and
online security experts.
So once a hacker discovers a new breach in a network or security of an
application or enterprise, they sell them to other hackers and use that means to
make money.
One of the prevalent malware that helps hackers make money illegally is the
keylogger. This malware is used to infect and get hashes from crypto wallets on
the computer of the victim. It steals their passwords and automatically sends
crypto coins to the hacker’s wallet.
Social Media Hacking Services ($30 – $50)
This is one of the minor services that “genuine hackers” provide. Often I see
young social media users looking for a hacker’s services that will help them take
over their friend or partner’s account.
This is also a good way hackers make money illegally, but since the price offered
most times are tangible, most hackers don’t take the job.
If you are an upcoming BlackHat hacker, this would be an excellent way to start
and earn some money.
Information Trade ($200,000 – $800,000)
Information trade is simply selling information about governments, people in
business, celebrities to people who want it. When you hear about attacks on
these people, you wonder what happens to the information?
Put, as a hacker, your job is to steal this information and sell it to interested
buyers. Stolen data can be used for intelligence or extortion – but most of it is
traded on information exchanges.
There are quite a few legit information exchanges globally, used by intelligence
agencies and media outlets to get information. This information costs from
several thousand to millions of dollars.
Selling Courses ($50)
When you are too good and feel you have too much knowledge to share, you
start training others. A new tactic for hackers who haven’t landed a big
paycheck is to post tutorials on groups.
They target novice hackers who are interested in learning more tactics and
exploitation strategies. These new hackers then use their recently acquired
methods to extort hundreds and thousands of dollars from small companies and
individuals.
Government Mercenaries (Depends on your pricing and expertise)
Some hackers are employed, especially by government forces to create
breaches and exploit confidential information from their enemies. Through the
back door, the government hires these hackers to track down other hackers,
steal personal data from opposing countries, or even economic and industrial
espionage.
Is WhiteHat Hacking also Lucrative?
Whitehat hackers, who are also known as good hackers or security defenders,
are paid well, but it can’t be compared to what blackhat hackers make while
working on illegal jobs.
Any hacker that makes money illegally is considered blackhat because you
have to do dirty jobs to earn money illegally.
Big corporations usually employ whitehat hackers – Apple, Banks, Amazon,
Facebook, Google, and co, to secure their networks and protect their
information. Whitehat hackers have a salary range of $90,000 – $350,000 yearly
income.
Conclusion
Hackers make money illegally by doing most of the above services I have
outlined. Still, in some cases, they get a bit of help from insiders who are already
within the organization.