Are you keen to hack and take management of Chinese web sites for a random particular person for as much as $100,000 a month?
Someone is making exactly that tantalizing, weird, and clearly sketchy job provide. The particular person is utilizing what appear like a sequence of faux accounts with avatars displaying images of enticing ladies, and sliding into the direct messages of a number of cybersecurity professionals and researchers on X within the final couple of weeks.
“We are recruiting webshell engineers and groups to penetrate Chinese web sites worldwide, with a month-to-month wage of as much as $100,000. If you have an interest, you may be a part of our channel first,” learn the message, which included a hyperlink to a Telegram channel.
For some cause, I additionally acquired this message from an X account named “Look at my homepage,” which had a username, @JerelLayce88010, that seemed prefer it was randomly generated.
When I adopted the hyperlink, I used to be in a position to see the admin of the channel, somebody who goes by the title “Jack” and has an AI-generated avatar of a pirate.
“Are you proficient in penetration expertise?” Jack requested me.
I’m not, however I requested Jack to inform me extra about their objectives.
“Get webshells from Chinese registered domains. There is not any particular goal. As lengthy because the area is registered in China, it’s our goal vary,” mentioned Jack, referring to net shells, applications or scripts that hackers can use to regulate hacked net servers. “You want to know China’s CMS…” — referring to content material administration programs, the software program that runs the backends of internet sites — “…discover loopholes, and be capable to receive webshells in batches. There is not any higher restrict to the quantity we’d like. The extra the higher. This is a long-term job. We can set up long-term cooperation.”
Yes, however crucially, why?
“What I would like is China’s site visitors,” Jack mentioned, maybe dropping persistence with my questions.
OK, however, for what?
At this level, Jack positively obtained uninterested in my questions and gave me an task: Get me three net shells on any area registered in China so I do know you could have the talents. Generously, Jack provided me $100 for every hacked area.
Alas, I nonetheless don’t have the talents to try this, nor the willingness to interrupt the regulation. Instead I saved asking questions, together with who Jack was working for. “Indian authorities,” Jack responded, though in a subsequent chat Jack contradicted that, blaming computerized translation, which they mentioned they have been utilizing as a result of Chinese is their first language.
I spoke to among the researchers who obtained Jack’s unusual job provide, they usually have been additionally puzzled. Nobody mentioned they’ve gotten a malicious hyperlink, for instance, or suspicious questions that will point out some form of doxing or rip-off marketing campaign.
“I’m guessing it’s a troll [rather] than some severe risk actor,” mentioned s1r1us, a safety researcher who acquired a DM from certainly one of Jack’s sockpuppet accounts on X. “If they wish to rent prime expertise this isn’t positively the way in which.”
The Grugq, a widely known cybersecurity skilled, instructed TechCrunch that he has by no means seen something like this recruiting marketing campaign. “I’ve seen [people] asking dumb questions and spamming for varied cyber safety associated issues,” he mentioned. “But by no means something just like the persistent, widespread, weird shit from this man.”
According to The Grugq, maybe the objective is to contaminate folks inside China with malware, because it doesn’t make sense to make use of Chinese domains to launch DDoS assaults or spam, as a result of that wouldn’t justify the excessive fee.
“I actually can’t consider wtf they’re doing,” The Grugq concluded. “It is senseless.”
And neither can anybody else, apparently. Godspeed, Jack, in no matter journey you might be embarking on.
