Comment by kstenerud | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kstenerud | Hacker News Reader

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I suspect that the future of online crime will use bystander computers to do their dirty work. It would actually be quite simple to do:

- Infect the computer via the normal means

- Connect to a CNC relay and await instructions

- Receive instructions and perform the deed

The most important aspect would be to use a non-persistent compromise so that it leaves no trace when the police arrive and unplug the computer to bring it in for forensic analysis. With the trail ending at this computer and no sign of infection, they have their perp; case closed.

Criminal organizations could even offer a SAAS solution - a kind of "crime as a service", where they rent you the infrastructure of ephemeral compromised machines to use.

Back when Netflix was a US exclusive, I've tried the Hola proxy addon. Hola basically turned/turned your computer into a proxy and, in exchange, let(x) you use other people's computer as a proxy.

That's all pretty great when it comes to foreign Netflix, but it's also an easy way to get other people convicted for posting child porn. I don't think there's a lot of security going on on that network. And you don't even need a special criminal organisation to abuse such a system, you have actual normal, civilian users!

> Criminal organizations could even offer a SAAS solution - a kind of "crime as a service", where they rent you the infrastructure of ephemeral compromised machines to use.

There is already an entire industry offering "residential proxies," which are relays with the functional characteristics you describe. The difference is that the machines providing the relay are (typically) co-opted by adware etc, rather than being overtly compromised. I believe there may also be some operators who actually own the relay nodes.

Quick google search found this one:

https://oxylabs.io/products/residential-proxy-pool

You just described a botnet, which have been around for about 20 years

This already happens with botnets. It's just that the nonces are a lot less organized.

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