On the Dark Web, Prices Are Down for Middle Eastern Network Access

The cost of access to Middle East corporate networks dropped by half in a year.

Users on Dark Web forums and Telegram chats are asking for as little as $35 in some cases for access to corporate networks of Middle Eastern countries. According to research by Positive Technologies, the cost for access credentials typically ranges between $100 to $1,000 in 49% of analyzed cases.

Research released by Privacy Affairs in June 2022 found access to corporate networks cost between $2,000 and $4,000 on the Dark Web.

Sellers decide prices for themselves and rely on factors such as the type and rights of the access being sold, as well as the size and revenue of the company, the country and industry in which it operates, and whether there are protection systems within the company, Positive Technologies analyst Anastasiya Chursina says.

Also, 22% of all Dark Web sales offer access to infrastructure of organizations in different sectors; government and financial institutions are the most commonly mentioned verticals.

Chursina says there's plenty of Dark Web chat about oil production and wealth management. The most popular petrochemical industry discussions were related to Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

The most-discussed nations in the region were the UAE and Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

Chursina recommends companies build protection against attacks, taking into account all possible threats and scenarios of the development of an attack by intruders, and using modern protections such as SIEM combined with extended detection and response (XDR).