It has become easier to land a job on the dark web. More specifically, there are dedicated job openings and portals for criminals looking to make money fast. A very problematic trend and one that illustrates the dark web’s appeal like never before.
Research by Securelist confirms that there are hundreds of job openings on the dark web. As a result, many people find new ways to make money through illicit activities. Cybercrime is a thriving industry, yet it can only be as successful as its workforce. Like other industries, new talent must be recruited around the clock, which can be time-consuming.
One way of streamlining that process is through job postings. More specifically, the dark web is home to dozens of active job listings around the clock. Advertisements for jobs attract dozens of resumes being submitted by the many hopefuls. Interestingly, people who apply for these jobs can either get a full-time position or work remotely, which is interesting.
Although the number of job listings has been down since March 2020, it remains a prevalent trend. Today, many people struggle financially, and they need money quickly. Illicit activities are often a way to get money quickly, although most perpetrators get caught eventually. Whether it is worth the tradeoff is a personal decision, but one that isn’t always worth it.
Several entities have established themselves as the “main recruiters” of the dark web. Those include known hacker teams, APT groups, and people with a business idea but who lack the necessary coding skills. Of course, any coding knowledge is always beneficial to landing a job on the dark web. However, there is also a huge demand for people willing to distribute malware code or maintain IT infrastructure.
Those who possess more advanced coding skills can make a good amount of money on the dark web. Monthly salaries can be as high as $20,000, although most positions will offer much less. IT Professionals can expect a median pay of roughly $1,400, whereas reverse engineers will make up to $4,000. That is a lot of money on the table for people willing to put their morals aside for a while.
Given the boom in cybercrime, it is an industry with almost guaranteed job security. That might involve hopping from one project to the next while trying to evade attention from law enforcement. However, it can be worthwhile for those who want to explore this option.
Contrary to what most may expect, not all job offers are illicit either. A job opening for IT education – although heavily focused on training cybercrime hopefuls – is, in theory, legitimate. Like the legal IT sector, its dark web counterpart required plenty of educational materials. Those can come in written, video, or audio format. Even though such a position is mainly legitimate, it borders on the “grey area” of the law.
Other positions are less “legal”, even if they serve a cause. For instance, there are offers for people willing to sell “unverified” drugs on fraudulent websites. That might seem appealing and easy to do, although one could easily piss off the wrong people. As such, caution is always advised when dealing with dark web job offerings.