Cybercrime Pays Big for Some
Contrary to popular belief, human resources are important even in the illegal world of cybercrime. To tackle the issue of job insecurity, hacker groups offer their recruits enticing salaries and even benefits like paid sick leave or vacations. A recent study by cybersecurity company Kaspersky shows just how lucrative a career in cybercrime can be.
The study analyzed about 200,000 job listings posted between March 2020 and June 2022 on 155 dark web sites. The results speak for themselves. Software developers, who made up 61% of the job listings, were the most sought after and well-paid professionals in the cybercrime industry, with salaries reaching up to $20,000 per month. Attack specialists came in second, with 16% of job listings and salaries reaching up to $15,000 per month.
Full-time Jobs and Flexibility
Despite law enforcement efforts to dismantle hacker groups (such as the FBI’s recent crackdown on the Hive group), cybercriminals continue to thrive. Even though their average salary is lower, reverse engineers can still make an average of $4,000 per month, a substantial sum in many parts of the world.
Salaries and Extra Perks
But cybercriminals offer more than just high salaries. The study also found that many job listings come with added benefits. For example, 34% of the jobs were full-time, while 33% allowed for flexible working hours. Even better, 8% of the listings promised the new recruit would be integrated into a “tight-knit team,” and 7% offered “exciting challenges.” Finally, 8% even offered paid leave and sick leave!