Why do hackers create computer viruses? Is there a conspiracy behind it?

Originally posted by Santh
Really guys? There JUST has to be a conspiracy?

Hacker does not equal programmer.
Hacker does not equal someone wanting to make money.

I know "Hackers" who make them for fun. I know people who make them for payback against one person, but it spreads far beyond that one individual. Some viruses are made to put some sort of ad ware, spyware on your machine, or ruined your box. To think that viruses still exists just so antivirus companies don't go out of business shows ignorance... of which is commonly seen on ATS these days.

Norton and everyone else can create solutions for viruses because.. guess what? Its called reverse engineering. And most viruses out there aren't that complicated, and once you find out how it works, is easy to stop.

*sigh* I don't even know what else to add. The thought that this thread is founded on is flawed.

edit on 20-1-2012 by Santh because: (no reason given)

Some people work for companies just to get paid to put viruses out there so that you are put in FEAR mode to buy products that protect you. This is the truth. A SCAM. Make up something and POOF someone has the cure or answers to just buy,buy,buy here. This world full of SCAMMERS. Look at madoff. Everywhere you look a new SCAM is being made up, so you buy,buy,buy. You cain't even get stuff to last anymore, it was made to FLAW at a certain time period. THUS, you buy more tactic. Just like T CEE F. If you accidently overdraw your account they charge you 28 dollars A DAY, and if you get paid every 2 weeks, well you do the math. Also, look at all the products you buy. Alot are downsizing. Like potatoe chips bags. NOT ONLY do they still have air in the bag, but now the bag is even smaller. Look around. SCAMS GALORE. I would tell people to wake up, but they don't care. 2012 is another scare scam on a massive level. Banks, they the biggest SCAM OF ALL. So yeah i believe people put viruses out there so companies make a buck. DUH.

Some "hackers" just make viruses for fun, or for the challenge. I used to do it for kicks until the FBI retaliated with the T-Rex virus on my system. I stopped after that.

Other hackers do it to steal valuable information. Credit card numbers, social security numbers, any valuable information that could be used to steal assets. Obviously there's a monetary gain there. Some insidious individuals make their living by stealing information in this way.

Others do it on the payroll of various organizations/corporations. There are "electronic wars" that are waged covertly by corporations between their rivals. Obviously these acts are not officially sanctioned by said corporations, but it still plays out. Through hacking each other's infrastructures, companies can gain valuable clientele data, trade secrets, or even information which can be used to blackmail individuals within the corporation.

Don't be naive and think hackers are just fatties in their parents' basements with l33t sk1LL5. Most are professionals who earn a lot of money doing what they do best.

It's the same concept in the the physical world.

Companies (big Pharma) create and engineer viruses to provide a cure.

It's the create a problem to solve the problem for gain scenario. Like 9/11.

I do it for fun!

j/k

...and it keeps the creative energies flowing.

When you are a software engineer you must stay on top and you must exercise your knowledge by the fusion of creation.

Not all viruses are bad.

Stuxnet for example is one of the most complex hybrid implementations of PLC/ISC within a RTOS environment ever creatively coded. It ensured that Iran's centrifuges spun out of control to the point that irrevocable damage was done to their very expensive, and parts sparse enrichment system.

So code engineering is not all that bad once given to a good cause.

I think the virus thing is conspiracy, I'm not talking like like and spyware that crap is around, but as for virus I've never used anti virus and never had a virus, Coincidence... I think not, and idk if you guy remember but like 3-5 years ago almost every antivirus, gave you malware or something like it, specially those annoying one that hijack you browser to buy their product cause your "infected", who know maybe that was a virus, but i got rid of it without any programs help.

Originally posted by Djarums

Originally posted by diddy1234


Why is it that the antivirus companies can figure out a virus very quickly and issue updates so quickly ?

Here's an interesting thought. If there were no more viruses which companies would go out of business?

Has it ever been proven, that anit virus corporations invest in creating viruses?

reply to post by WWu777


Most Trojans, Worms, Etc. are done for $$$. Eg. displaying ads/offers on people's computers, finding shady ways to interject people's browsing with popups and ads where whoever spreads the malware gets commissions.

I think this kind of malware is more common than simply "destructive" viruses.

reply to post by korathin

Different people, different agenda's. I have long suspected religious or atheist moral zealots where behind computer virus's in porn(as well as elements of the Porn industry).

I do think it is zealots, but of a political type, not a religious type, although a religion could be funding same. I do not think the internet porn industry is releasing these, after all, they want you to visit their page and spend money, not get a virus on your computer!
Today's world of Crackers, and the above poster was right, a hacker simply "hacks" into their own operating system and changes it to suit. A Cracker will steal your ID and exploit your personal information for profit. I have heard that an Email Address is worth $3.00, and it's worth $7.00 if a physical address it with it. And so on up in price for a complete "profile," a file that contains email addresses, physical addresses, telephone numbers, credit card numbers and companies, bank information, photos of you, and family members and as much of their ID as possible.

Today's internet is a dangerous place.

Originally posted by WWu777
Why do hackers create computer viruses constantly as though it were some kind of business to them? What's the gain or motive? What's in it for them? It makes no sense.

Why don't they put their skills into creating something to sell to make money, or working as a computer programmer or software engineer and getting paid?

Is there any conspiracy behind this? Why can't law enforcement just stop the problem for good and arrest all the perpetrators?

To be honest I think that the law enforcement has stopped many of these viruses from reaching the public, all I know is that viruses are a real pain in the neck

Originally posted by revs0lution
From my experience as a security analyst, I can tell you that lots of malware, spyware, trojan and viruses are not detected by your popular antivirus. My team has to send sample to mcafee, symantec, and other antivirus for analysis and then adding it to their database. over 95% of the infection we catch are by custom signature that WE create. That's why I will never buy any antivirus (that and because i'm using linux which is probably the safest out there). So I partly agree with the OP that antivirus create some virus out there for obvious reason...no virus, no need for antivirus ? but i really believe there is no conspiracy here.

Building malware and malicious code is becoming a big market. You now have people that sell licences to access their botnet in order to do your # (like stealing info, performing DDoS).

Everybody is involved in this.

You have government allegedly spying on their citizens, or creating weapons using extremely advanced code, researchers doing looking for vulnerabilities in major protocols, script kiddies modifying existing code just for fun, or groups like anonymous that want to cause disruptions.

Exactly... I agree with all the above's

Until a virus is "caught" by a security team and that its codes are sent in, analyzed and included in the next update this can take forever and that's only for those that get caught... If I decide to code a virus tomorrow that spawn a reverse shell in a remote machine and give me backdoor access, well if the system admin isn't savvy enough to catch up on whats going on and find my codes then send them to symantec or whatever... Those anti-virus will never get updated with the new "definitions" and my virus will likely be stealth and undetectable.

Just to give you an example guy I wrote a program last year it was very basic, tcp socket under linux that would connect to a SMTP server and send me alerts or whatever I wanted and stupid Norton 360 detected my program as a "Commonly known attack method" Jesus there wasn't anything in there... it was a simple as it get tcp socket with nothing fancy with pre-defined alert messages. There wasn't ANYTHING in there that could/should of tripped anti viruses...

Just as an example to tell you they aren't "THAT" good... sorry

Originally posted by w3nd1g0

Originally posted by 98yekiM

Originally posted by WWu777
Why do hackers create computer viruses constantly as though it were some kind of business to them? What's the gain or motive? What's in it for them? It makes no sense.

Why don't they put their skills into creating something to sell to make money, or working as a computer programmer or software engineer and getting paid?

Is there any conspiracy behind this? Why can't law enforcement just stop the problem for good and arrest all the perpetrators?

Hacker stumble across your PC, checks your banking records...
Sees you have $50,000 in your savings...
With a virus and some simple spyware, that $50,000 could get transferred by the Hacker into an 'untraceable' account within seconds...


If Hackers aren't creating viruses for fun, like other ATS members have said, it can be VERY profitable for them...

lol untraceable bank accounts??!?!?!

if your hacked/virus/spyware and they take your money... your insurance covers it provided you prove you had AV installed.

as for untraceable? not really... most personal banks will use a personal banking website/phone system/automated service... you still have to enter a from and to account. the problem occurs when they then move it around very quickly through many different accounts..... but again... that is moot as your insurance will take care of it.

if you are using windows and dont have AV installed.... or simply don't know what you are doing when it comes down to security.... then you deserve to be robbed in my view lol *jokes*

get insurance, install AV on you win pc and don't keep downloading pr0n

Haha, I put untraceable as 'untraceable' as of course it can be tracked...
But with some coding and change arounds, it can take much longer to find and by that time, the 50k is most likely already gone...

I didn't know that you can get insurance on hacks...
Hackers could create a SCAM just off of this, Hacker hacks own account and has the original money plus insurance money =P

As was said before on here, and as i agree with, it can be explained by PROBLEM, REACTION , SOLUTION !

PROBLEM:- Hackers not employed directly by an Anti-Virus company, are paid by the Anti-Virus companies to create the Virus, which the Anti-Virus companies more than likely have the solution to in adavnce.

REACTION:- The masses complain about the viruses because they can't access Facebook and tell the world what type of sandwich they made for lunch.

SOLUTION:- The Anti-Virus companies come in and save the day with an Anti-Virus progam that was more than likely already made before the virus was sent out !

It's not just computer virii that should be questioned here.
The same thing is done with the stuff that affects humans as well, a virus is created by the CDC and a short while later they also come up with cure.

It's pure non-sense that AV companies would write viruses. Viruses, malware have been around long before any AV companies existed.

Timeline of notable computer viruses and worms

Gasp! Guess what? They was on Unix, Commodore 64, Apple ||, Mac OS, DOS, etc. Antivirus companies released products because there was a market for it, not because they created it.

Even Microsoft has a free AV program called Microsoft Security Essentials

Also there is Avast! Free, Avira Free, AVG Free

There is FREE antivirus programs out there. It's not a huge conspiracy to make money. People only think that because they are ignorant of computer history.

Yet I had a Commodore 64, an Amiga 1200 and never had a single virus once or had to buy any Anti-Virus programs. But once i got a laptop and went 'online' and always needed an Anti-Virus program the viruses begun. thats only speaking from my own point of view and experiences, And whats to say the computers you mentioned weren't just the test-case so to speak for Anti-Virus companies to then have a reason to originate in the first place ??? Plant the seeds and come up with the cure ??? And as was just mentioned, it seems to follow a similar apttern to the Pharma companies creating man-made viruses and releasing them but only after they already have the man-made cure to come and save the world and look like the good guys. I'm not implying theres a direct connection there, but there does seem to be a pattern with these things ???

reply to post by AussieDingus


Pure rubbish.

reply to post by PharohGnosis


Whats pure rubbish, that i had a Commodore 64 ? an amiga 1200 ? that i'm speaking from my personal experience ? that I never had a virus ONCE on either of them EVER ? that I only got a virus when buying a newer computer and went online with an Anti-Virus that seems to have to be updated every year ? thats theres a POSSIBLITY that there may be a connection with hackers and Anti-Virus companies ? that its a POSSIBLITY that Pharma companies make man-made viruses to make obscene profits by releasing the all saving cures ? seeing a POSSIBLE pattern between the two ?
Its a bit hard to understand where you're coming from by giving a 2 word reply ? And from my personal experience i have used free anti-viruses such as AVG, and also paid for Anti-viruses like Trend and Norton. And from personal experience the free ones like AVG don't seem to work as well as the ones you pay for.
And before you call it "pure rubbish" again, please remember you're on a Conspiracy site. Instantly dismissing something that has the POSSIBILITY to be correct, isnt exactly the smartest mentality to bring on to a Conspiracy site. And please read the title of the thread, which is asking why hackers might do what they do, and is there a conspiracy behind it. Isnt the point here to discuss the issue of the topic. But i suppose thats just 'pure rubbish'

Funny thing..this week I've had a friend have his URL stolen and placed for a ransom of 34K to get it back. The site has been cloned and taken over by the hacker(s). My hosting for my web forum notified all of its users to change their FTP passwords since a hacking was attempted and to cover our butts change our passords. I've received notifications on two of my internet accounts that someone exceeded the limit on password attempts on my account. I do feel as though the hackers esepcially the russian hackers are in overdrive.

I used to work for an antivirus company.

First, please understand that it's a misnomer, most "antivirus" companies are "security" companies and viruses per se are only a small %age of the issue

Second, most researchers (as they like to be called) have absolute contempt for virus writers. AV firms do NOT commission viruses to be written to boost their own sales.

Third - AV researchers are some of the most stuck up and arrogant human beings I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Wordlwide it's a small club with a bad attitude of "MY game MY rules and YOU can't play!" if you're an outsider. Specific example I'm thinking of concerned Doren Rosenthal who (a few years back) produced virus-like code as a training tool for security staff. He was judged to be a blasphemer at the altar of the AntiVirus world, and roundly condemned as being a virus writer. Why? Because he wasn't part of the club.

Fourth - viruses and trojans as such don't really do much damage any more, it's a technical point, really a lot of what is out there are WORMS.

Originally posted by Maxine1969
Third - AV researchers are some of the most stuck up and arrogant human beings I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Wordlwide it's a small club with a bad attitude of "MY game MY rules and YOU can't play!" if you're an outsider. Specific example I'm thinking of concerned Doren Rosenthal who (a few years back) produced virus-like code as a training tool for security staff. He was judged to be a blasphemer at the altar of the AntiVirus world, and roundly condemned as being a virus writer. Why? Because he wasn't part of the club.

Having made a tentative point of defending Rothenthal I'll now play devil's advocate, and supply a document link go.eset.com... which is in favour of the "mainstream" researchers and pretty much ANTI Rosenthal