Hackers For Hire, Site Connects You To Top Hackers To Get The Job Done

It doesn't matter what you invent, someone will figure out a way to use it for nefarious purposes. And so it goes with the Internet, a wonderful tool for connecting the world in ways that weren't possible prior to its inception, yet it's also provided a means for cybercriminals to steal large amounts of personal data at a time. Last year was particularly brutal, with several high profile attacks taking place, and this year it looks as though hackers are trying to rise from their underground hideouts and make themselves available for mainstream hire.

Hackers List, which opened in November, is one such site. It's a place where any ordinary Joe can go and hire a hacker -- white hat or black hat -- for small hacking jobs. However, even though the jobs aren't on the same level as the one that wreaked havoc with Sony Pictures Entertainment, they can still be criminal in nature.

Many of the hackers on the website list their fees, which range from $28 to $300 per hour. The jobs run the gamut from breaking into Gmail accounts to taking down websites for revenge. Interestingly enough, many of the jobs pertain to hacking into schools and changing grades. Likewise, potential customers can post requests.

"$300-$600: I need a hacker to change my final grade, it should be done in a week," one of the listings reads. "$200-$300: Hack into a company email account. copy all emails in that account. Give copies of the emails employer. Send spam emails confessing to lying and defamation of character to everyone in the email list," reads another.

Many of the jobs don't have a single bid, which begs the question of how successful the site will ultimately be. In addition, the site is down at the time of this writing, indicating that as such sites grow in popularity, domain hosts will crack down on them, depending on location.

Nevertheless, this is a bit of a frightening trend. Granted, these types of sites have existed for a long time, but until now, they've been part of an underground world and economy. By publicly flaunting themselves, hackers gain a whole new audience, and a large one at that.