3 Ways the Middle East and North Africa Cyber Underground Is Maturing

We tend to talk about the cyber underground as a single place. 

However, underground cyber markets are often regionally based and focused, like many legitimate organizations.

And there are new warning signs now of cybercriminal sophistication coming from the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).

Our SecureWorld team just finished reviewing the new Trend Micro study, "Cash and Communication: New Trends in the Middle East and North Africa Underground," and we discovered how this community for cybercriminals is rapidly maturing.

3 ways the MENA cyber underground market is maturing

The study noticed these dramatic shifts over the last year:

1. A major change in the way cybercriminals communicate:
   "Many MENA cybercriminals... adopted a more secure end-to-end encrypted messaging used in other underground markets." This is a service called Telegram, which offers secure messaging and live support. It is already widely-used in other underground cybercrime markets, including those in Russia and Brazil.
2. A big shift in the "cashout services" offered:
   Previously, MENA underground services focused on moving stolen physical goods for cash. "However, these services have developed and evolved. Now, cash services are actually money laundering operations that convert money (instead of goods) into different currencies." Cashout requests ask for help with American bank accounts, "and advertised money exchanges promise to help cash out from European banks, PayPal, Western Union, and MENA-specific banks."
3. A growing focus on Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities:

The message with this image (above) includes instructions on how to hack IoT cameras. And Trend Micro's MENA cyber underground report notes  this shift in focus follows right along with a growing list of IoT targets that are coming online:

"Saudi Arabia and UAE are committed to creating smart cities across the country. UAE’s Roads and Transport Authority has already started using autonomous vehicles in certain districts this February. Also, Qatar launched an initiative to develop smart infrastructure in time for the 2022 World Cup."

Another interesting finding: cybercriminals travel on the cheap

The report also found one thing that has not changed in the MENA cyber underground space—and it is something common in most black markets around the globe.

Hackers and cybercriminals travel on the cheap.

"... cybercriminals run this business by offering services paid for using stolen credit cards and hacked loyalty program accounts... Most of the travel discounts offered are for flights and hotels starting at 30% off the original price."

While the travel market hasn't changed much for cybercriminals, the MENA underground cybermarket continues to mature in other ways to make the battle against cybercrime broader and more difficult to combat.