Study reveals the ease of entry into cyber crime in Brazil

Trend Micro's Threat Research Team - a company specializing in the defense of digital threats and security in the cloud - carried out the study Ascending the Ranks: The Brazilian Cybercriminal Underground in 2015 , showing a panorama with the offers of the Brazilian internet underworld and the expectations about the future of Brazilian legislation regarding digital security.

After analyzing and mapping the cyber crime underworld in countries such as Germany, China, the United States and Russia, the group concluded that Brazil has unparalleled facilities for engaging in internet crimes . Among the offers offered in the cybercriminal world, banking malware skyrockets ahead due to the popularity of Internet Banking in the country. For R $ 5,000, buyers can register keystrokes on up to 15 websites and have access to 24-hour support services.

Cybercrime training is relatively inexpensive when compared to the "benefits" it can bring to criminals. For $ 300, would-be cybercriminals and newbies can learn to create their own malware variants and phishing pages. There is also a three-month carding training (the theft of credit card credentials).

In it, students are taught how to gain access to a database and steal credit card credentials. Then, they learn what to do when a purchase made with a stolen credit card is approved, and how to proceed if the money “mule” fails. Finally, the “students” learn to clone cards (physically) and to create Trojan horses.

Primary target: online banking transactions

The emergence of offers in the underworld can be attributed to the high rate of adoption of online banking in the country; to give you an idea, Trend Micro noted that more than 40% of Brazil's population conducted online banking in 2014. Android apps, for example, were set up to pay for prepaid credits with stolen credit card credentials.

Computer networking support authorities should have brilliant communication skills. They work with internal and external customers, vendors and other information technology experts, needing the skill to connect in both technical and non-technical language.

Another verified trend was that street crimes, such as selling counterfeit documents and money, migrated to the web. Course completion certificates are sold for R $ 300 each. Some counterfeit sellers even offer free shipping for purchases of more than 200 bills. The values ​​range from R $ 100 to R $ 750 counterfeit and R $ 200 to double, R $ 1.5 thousand.