back to article Cyber-mercenaries for hire represent shifting criminal business model

An emerging and fast-growing threat group is using a unique business model to offer cybercriminals a broad range of services that span from leaked databases and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to hacking scripts and, in the future, potentially ransomware. The Atlas Intelligence Group – or AIG or Atlantis Cyber- …

  1. druck Silver badge
    Mushroom

    export LANGUAGE=en_gb

    First US spellings, now "$1.000" European thousand separators - please can we just standardise on the correct British way of doing things for a British website.

    1. VoiceOfTruth Silver badge

      Re: export LANGUAGE=en_gb

      I have to admit to some confusion. Is this $1.00(0) dollars, or $1,000, or something else.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So looks like we are officially living through the near-horizon cyberpunk.

    All they need is something they can either call "The Great Crash" or "The First Cyberwar" with a semi-straight face. That said, I expect that Gibson and Stephenson were right and that the "Mercenary Operator" trope will play out differently then they expect. Probably more like "Human Lightning Rod" as they attract the pointed interest of every state level operator on the planet, up to and including whichever ones they are affiliated with/broke off from.

    Groups like this are notoriously better at offense, and defense favors the patient attacker. Better to have stayed off the radar then to end up famous, now it's probably too late. The Eye of Sauron has seen them. So it's just a matter of time before the little mistakes add up over time. Interesting times though right?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    headline baited me

    I was really hoping there were mercenaries hunting cyber criminals.

    Now that would be entertaining,,, alas these are just greedy scum like the rest of the lot.

  4. lundril

    Shadowrun

    Anyone ever played the Shadowrun RPG? (I think inception was 1989?)

    It's kind of weird to now (2022) read an article, which basically describes what a "Shadowrun" is, but this time in real life...

    1. Clausewitz4.0 Bronze badge
      Devil

      Re: Shadowrun

      Inception movie (2010) was just a (bad?) way to advertise an expensive neuro-cyber interface.

      It doesn't work with everyone, no influence can be achieved, specially in the ones who create resilience against such technology.

      But it is indeed expensive, and can be resold.

  5. longshots

    mercenaries for hire

    Is this not the same as private contractors that are being used by "peace loving democratic nations" to further their agenda.

  6. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    If the methodology was patented, one could presumably sue the criminals

    When comparing them to other crime syndicates, we see the clear behavior of a cartel as we witness their leaders serve as architects of the campaigns, while the mercenaries follow the masterminds' orders."

    Quite clearly do they copy/mimic/follow/practise/exercise in almost practically exactly a similar way to a No10 Downing Street COBRA operation ..... although in that particular case are the masterminds' orders always missing from the agenda.

    You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear is writ large in deliberations from that pretentious sounding meeting room.

  7. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Things aint like they used to be ......

    It’s all those pesky little things the mainstream media is not telling you about the steady decline and inexorable decay in radioactive communication that leads to the doom and gloom of terrifying and terrified reaction and a constant stream of unedifying obfuscation and reality denial that ensures the rapid collapse of widely failing corrupt and perverted systems, for when the truth is out there to enable you to see what can and therefore will be, are all battles and wars lost against that which one chooses to not see coming, shielded and cloaked as they are by a demented enemy intent on maintaining and retaining command and control behind a vast veil of self-serving lies and colossal half-truths.

    The following is perfectly true and waits patiently in the wings just for now, more than ready, willing and able to prove you worthy of its attention. Do you imagine though it is more likely to be disappointed by your reactions/proactions rather than pleased and contented by them?

    amanfromMars [2207260826] ...... shares a novel opportunity to lead somewhere new on https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2022/7/26/lab-powers-up-to-plug-in-next-gen-supercomputers

    [Thank you. Your comment will be displayed soon after reviewing.]

    Meredith, Hi,

    As generally comprehensive and informative as that report "Algorithmic Warfare: Lab Powers Up to Plug In Next-Gen Supercomputers" is regarding ongoing efforts and in-the-pipeline hardware upgrades/replacements to make nuclear stockpile weapons systems safer, more secure and less vulnerable to threats from adversaries, and self-destructive failure in any future employment, the very fact that it specifically relates to old style explosive kinetic weapons systems and munitions with no recognition nor admission at all to their effective redundancy and impotence in either attack or defence against any increasingly almighty and stealthy virtual insurgency which presents no obvious viable target for retaliatory or preemptive action, is very telling to all those engaged and exploring future program and project options for employment in the field.

    To not currently realise that the clear and present danger and opportunity that any truly novel future weapons systems supply and guarantee is not rendered in a physical transport of explosive munitions, no matter how grossly Earth-shaking and poisonous/carcinogenic, but concealed and silently and secretly enjoyed in AI Master Piloted Programs capturing and captivating hearts and minds and souls rather than destroying brain cells and human bodies, has such a friend light years ahead of any intellectually challenged competition or enemy opposition ........ and something to be securely nurtured and supported rather than gravely to be regarded.

    Such is the present extremely disruptive and addictively attractive quantum-leaping state of grand neo-colonial, geo-political play which be mirrored and betatested in pro-active theory simulations with Virtual Machinery in Greater IntelAIgent Games Applications ..... and a truly novel future weapons systems for worthy launching against both barbaric ignorant foe and wilfully arrogant friend alike.

    Is there any evidence of that being more of a Wild Wacky Western/NATO Alliance confection than an Exotic Erotic Eastern delight?

    IT’s a Mad, Rad, Sad, Bad World and most definitely getting ever stranger :-)

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