News is out that ransomware spreading hackers group from Russia was holding hacking competitions on the dark web to reward those who can provide content to infiltrate into the corporate networks on an illegal note.
The group which is in the discussion is Sodinokibi and is reported to offer a $15,000 cash prize to those who can write content related to APT Attacks, developing exploits for searching zero-day flaws and vulnerabilities along with the information related to hacking other people’s crypto wallets.
Surprisingly, the hackathon is being organized to encourage black hat hackers to indulge in more hacking activities and sources say that the participants can get a chance to work in projects related to Sodinokibi ransomware evolution & distribution in near future.
An XSS Forum which has hackers related to Sodinokibi representatives as members are said to be organizing the hacking competition and is reported to have received over 7000 registrations so far.
Such forums aim to nurture the technical skills of new hackers and increase awareness among them when it comes to ransomware developments and distribution. At the same time, such contests often lead to the attraction of more web traffic which helps keep the forums instated with memberships and funds.
Black Hat hackers who are capable of writing codes and offering educational videos can also apply.
Note– Sodinokibi also known as REvil is a cyber threat group from Russia which helps distribute malware to exploit RDP Servers, backdoor software, exploit kits and scan and encryption techniques.