Security firm Sophos has discovered a Russian website that sells spyware kits.
The kits called WebAttacker are sold for $15 and the site shamelessly refers to its creators as 'spyware and adware developers'. It markets the strengths of its kits, makes them available for online purchase and offers technical support to its buyers.
The kits include scripts designed to simplify the task of infecting computers - the buyer spams out a message to email addresses, inviting recipients to visit a compromised website. The samples found used newsworthy topics to lure unwary users - one presented itself as a warning of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, providing links to a bogus website containing advice on how to protect "you and your family"; while the other claims that Slobodan Milosevic was murdered and invites users to visit the site for more information.
The websites then attempt to download the malicious code remotely onto the user's PC by taking advantage of known web browser and operating system vulnerabilities.
"This type of behavior is inviting the return of what we call script-kiddies," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. "By simplifying the task of the potential hacker and making it available so cheaply, sites like this one will attract opportunists who aren't necessarily very skilled and turn them into cyber-criminals."
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