legit hackers for hire 2025

Introduction：

1、Trusted cyber security & compliance services from a certified provider

2、Hackers for hire – the good, the bad and the just-plain-scammers

Trusted cyber security & compliance services from a certified provider ♂

　　You may remember ransomware from its sell-out 2017 tour (you might recall its smash hit, WannaCry, which crippled the NHS), and it’s not gone away. Research from Sophos shows that from 2017 to 2020, ransomware campaigns have only dropped 3%, and 51% of companies are still hit by ransomware. This makes it an effective way for hackers to make money. We spoke of this iconic cyber villain in our 2019 annual cyber security report, and highlighted its continuing prevalence in our 2020 report too. Theoretically, it’s the simplest way to monetise a hack. Through sophisticated phishing tactics or simply by dropping malware once access has been gained to a network, hackers can begin encrypting crucial files and charge a hefty sum (usually in Bitcoin) to unencrypt them.

　　If that wasn’t bad enough, a lot of companies found that when they paid the ransom (something you should never do) they didn’t actually get their files back. You can’t trust hackers these days. Worryingly, ransomware is evolving. Some strains deliberately slow the rate of encryption and spread in order to keep under alerting thresholds and therefore stay undetected for longer. Some have even showed devious tactics like directly encrypting the hard drive’s Master Boot Record, meaning there’s no need to waste all that time going from file to file.

Hackers for hire – the good, the bad and the just-plain-scammers ♂

　　Hackers for hire are a bunch of swindlers, according to research?published last week by Google and academics from the University of California, San Diego.

　　The researchers were specifically interested in a segment of black-market services known as hackers for hire: the crooks you send in when you lack the hacking skills to do the job yourself and the morals that whisper in your ear that this is not a nice, or legal, thing to do.

　　Such services offer targeted attacks that remain a potent threat, the researchers said, due to the fact that they’re so tailored. Think of spearphishing or whaling attacks that are so convincing because they get all the details right, such as forging company invoices or setting up copycat log-in sites that steal account credentials.

　　That kind of thing takes effort. Fortunately, most hackers for hire aren’t up to the task, to say the least. Many were outright scams – not too surprising – and some wouldn’t even take on the job if it involved attacking Gmail. For those services that did agree to take on the challenge of hacking Gmail accounts, the cost ballooned over the course of two years, from $123 to $384 – with a peak of $461 in February 2018.

　　Yahoo hacking prices have tracked the same as Google, while Facebook and Instagram hacking prices have actually fallen to the current average of $307.

　　The researchers hypothesize that the price differences for hacking the various email providers and the change in pricing are likely driven by what they call both operational and economic factors: namely, Google and Yahoo have gotten better at protecting email accounts, while prices have increased as the market for a specific service shrinks:

　　Prices will naturally increase as the market for a specific service shrinks (reducing the ability to amortize sunk costs on back-end infrastructure for evading platform defenses) and also as specific services introduce more, or more effective, protection mechanisms that need to be bypassed (increasing the transactional cost for each hacking attempt).

　　What’s sure to keep people’s accounts secure is surely aggravating the weasels who want to pay somebody to take them over. Namely, the hijacking ecosystem is “far from mature,” the researchers concluded.

　　They tested it out by setting up bogus online buyer personas with which to approach 27 hacking-for-hire services. The researchers tasked those services with compromising particular victim accounts.

　　Those supposed “victims” were actually honeypot Gmail accounts operated in coordination with Google.

　　Only five of the services they contacted delivered on their promise to attack the supposed victims. The rest were scammers, demurred when it came to attacking Gmail accounts, or had lousy customer service, they said:

　　Just five of the services we contacted delivered on their promise to attack our victim personas. The others declined, saying they could not cover Gmail, or were outright scams. We frequently encountered poor customer service, slow responses, and inaccurate advertisements for pricing.

　　The other good news: U2F (Universal 2nd Factor) security keys are working, the researchers said:

　　Further, the current techniques for bypassing 2FA can be mitigated with the adoption of U2F security keys.

　　… we would be remiss were we not to mention that Google last week got U2F egg on its face when it had to recall its Titan Bluetooth U2F keys after finding a security flaw.

　　Google has argued that Titan keys are still more secure than relying on just a password for access, and true, an attacker has to to be within about 10 meters and has to launch their attack just as you press the button on your Titan key… and needs to know your username and password in advance.

　　So we’ll grant the researchers that point.

　　Sum it all up, and the researchers don’t think the hackers-for-hire market is a large-scale threat at this point:

Related questions

Organizing a test for hiring on HackerRank involves several steps to ensure you effectively assess candidates' skills. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you set up a structured and efficient hiring test:

1. Define the Job Role and Requirements

• Job Title: Specify the role (e.g., Software Engineer, Data Analyst).
• Required Skills: List technical skills (e.g., Python, SQL, Algorithms) and soft skills.
• Experience Level: Define if the role is for interns, juniors, or seniors.

2. Create the Test on HackerRank

1. Log in to HackerRank for Work (https://www.hackerrank.com/work).
2. Go to Assessments > Create Assessment.
3. Name the Test: Use a clear title (e.g., "Backend Developer 鈥? Python Screening").
4. Choose Question Types:
   • Coding Challenges: Algorithmic, data structures, or problem-solving questions.
   • Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): Test theoretical knowledge (e.g., OOP concepts, databases).
   • Projects: Real-world tasks (e.g., build a REST API, analyze a dataset).
5. Select Questions:
   • Use HackerRank鈥檚 Question Library (pre-built questions).
   • Create Custom Questions tailored to your company鈥檚 needs.
6. Set Difficulty Levels: Include easy, medium, and hard questions to assess different skill tiers.

3. Configure Test Settings

• Time Limit: Assign a reasonable duration (e.g., 60鈥?90 minutes).
• Proctoring: Enable plagiarism detection and screen recording if needed.
• Retake Policy: Decide if candidates can retake the test.
• Language Support: Allow candidates to code in their preferred language (e.g., Python, Java).

4. Invite Candidates

• Manual Invites: Add candidate emails directly in HackerRank.
• Shareable Link: Generate a public link to share via email or job portals.
• Deadline: Set a deadline for test submission.

5. Review and Evaluate Results

1. Auto-Graded Scores: HackerRank automatically scores coding and MCQ sections.
2. Manual Evaluation: Review project submissions or code quality (e.g., readability, efficiency).
3. Plagiarism Report: Check for copied code using HackerRank鈥檚 plagiarism detector.
4. Leaderboard: Rank candidates based on scores and time taken.

6. Shortlist and Proceed to Interviews

• Use HackerRank鈥檚 analytics to shortlist top performers.
• Schedule follow-up interviews (e.g., live coding sessions, technical discussions).

Best Practices

1. Align Questions with Role Requirements: Avoid overly generic tests.
2. Test for Real-World Scenarios: Include practical problems (e.g., debugging, API integration).
3. Provide Clear Instructions: Specify input/output formats, constraints, and deadlines.
4. Trial Run: Test the assessment internally to ensure clarity and difficulty balance.
5. Communicate with Candidates: Send reminders and feedback post-assessment.

Integrate with Your Hiring Workflow

• Sync HackerRank with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for seamless candidate management.
• Use HackerRank Interviews for live coding rounds after the initial test.

By following this structured approach, you can efficiently evaluate candidates鈥? technical abilities and streamline your hiring process. Let me know if you need help drafting questions or configuring specific settings! 馃殌