Insiders for Sale as Cybercriminals Pay Thousands to Breach Banks and Tech Firms

Cybercriminals are increasingly shifting from hacking systems to recruiting the people behind them. Across darknet forums, employees in banks, telecoms, and technology companies are being offered thousands of dollars to sell internal access or corporate data, creating a dangerous new insider economy.

Recruitment posts on underground marketplaces now routinely promise payouts between $3,000 and $15,000 for network credentials, privileged information, or temporary access to enterprise systems.

High-value offers target employees at cryptocurrency exchanges, cloud service providers, and significant financial institutions, where insider cooperation can bypass even the most advanced defenses.

Darknet Ads and Insider Incentives

On darknet sites and encrypted Telegram channels, cybercriminal groups regularly post adverts inviting employees to “collaborate” from within.

Some posts use emotional manipulation, encouraging workers to “escape the daily grind” in exchange for easy crypto payouts, while others appeal directly to financial motives.

Targets include insiders at Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Gemini, Accenture, and Genpact, as well as consumer platforms like Spotify and Netflix.

In one listing, a dataset containing 37 million user records from a crypto exchange was offered for $25,000. Some posts even propose long-term deals, such as paying insiders $1,000 weekly for ongoing data access.

Bank employees remain the most sought-after. One recent advertisement requested access to systems tied to the U.S. Federal Reserve, while another sought transaction histories from a central European bank.

Such insider compromises can provide attackers with immediate access to financial networks and critical operations.

Expanding Targets: Tech, Telecom, and Logistics

Technology firms and telecoms are next on the list. Ads have solicited insiders from Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and major cloud providers, offering up to $10,000 for privileged access or account resets.

In Belgium, data from a large enterprise software vendor, including employee credentials and contact information, was listed for $25,000.

Telecom workers are frequently recruited for SIM-swapping schemes that allow attackers to intercept text messages and bypass multi-factor authentication.

Payouts for these operations range from $10,000 to $15,000. Logistics insiders, meanwhile, are offered between $500 and $5,000 to manipulate shipment data or assist in customs evasion.

Ransomware groups are also joining the trend. In July, a group with over 400 members advertised insider recruitment through a Telegram channel, offering a share of profits from each encrypted system.

Experts warn that anonymous cryptocurrency payments and data marketplaces have fueled the insider trade, complicating law enforcement’s ability to trace funds or identify sellers.

Preventing Insider Recruitment

Defending against this surging threat requires more than technical controls. Security teams must educate employees, monitor for behavioral anomalies, enforce least-privilege access, and track darknet mentions of corporate assets or personnel.

Checkpoints, the line between internal and external threats blurs; insider vigilance now matters as much as firewalls.

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