Phishing-as-a-Service

Historically, becoming a successful hacker had barriers to entry, which for many years helped in the battle against cyber attackers. Not only would hackers need the knowledge and abilities to design their attacks from scratch, they would also have to make substantial investments in computers and equipment to carry out their attacks. Those factors used to be a deterrent and helped limit the number of bad actors out there.

However, we are now seeing a disturbing trend where hackers offer their services or sell their tools. Of all the “hacker-as-a-service” offerings, one of the most critical is “Phishing-as-a-Service.” With just a credit card or cryptocurrency, now anyone can commit a cybercrime; all they need to know is where to look and decide how much they want to pay.

What is PhaaS?

Phishing-as-a-Service, or PhaaS, is a business where knowledgeable hackers charge a fee for access to the resources and know-how needed to launch a successful phishing assault. Because they are only selling software and not attacking anyone themselves, they are living in a gray area of legality.

 

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