Data transfer from the computer to the server is exposed to hackers on the Dark Web.
According to the team from Georgia State University and the University of Surrey, there is a large market on the Dark Web for SSL and Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates, which are a security technology (https protocol) that protects the transfer of data and information between computers and servers. As the researchers point out, even the most secure data files used for confidential communication between servers and computers are readily accessible to hackers.
Networked machines use security keys and SSL and TLS certificates to authenticate themselves when they connect to each other, just as users use user names and passwords to connect to the internet.
These certificates can now be found on the darknet and include a wide range of criminal tools, which provide hackers with machine identities that they use to compromise websites, monitor encrypted traffic, carry out attacks, and steal sensitive data.
As noted by the Associate Professor at the state University of Georgia, David Maimon, interest was sparked by the fact that TLS certificates are available on the darknet disguised as services (e.g., website design services) that provide hackers with immediate access to reliable sources of information gathering on the internet. Moreover, their selling price was very affordable while they included extensive validation certificates and all the necessary documents to create a trustworthy «showcase» company without requiring verification information.
In a search on the Dark Web, 2,943 references to SSL certificates and 75 to TLS were found. Meanwhile, only 531 references to ransomware were found.
According to Kevin Bocek, vice president of information security and threat intelligence at computer security firm Venafi, “Every organization should be concerned that certificates used to build and maintain trust and privacy online are now being sold and used as weapons in the hands of cybercriminals.”
