Hackers using Internet to hire

At least two companies involved in hacking and other cyber-attacks are posting advertising online, according to Kevin Stevens, a security analyst at SecureWorks.

The ads are scouting people who are willing to take their malicious code and link it around the web. These people then collect a fee for each 1,000 times that the malware is downloaded.

One site, for example, pays $180 for each 1,000 times that malware is downloaded onto a U.S. computer but less for computers elsewhere.

It refuses to pay for any downloads to Russian computers, causing Stevens and others to strongly suspect that it, like other similar sites, are based in Russia.

We pay your wages via the following systems: Fethard, WebMoney, Wire, e-gold, Western Union (WU), MoneyGram, Anelik and ePassporte, and PayPal, the site said.

Stevens said it was impossible to know how many computers were infected via these companies but put the number in the millions.

The FBI tallied $264 million in losses from Internet crime reported by individuals in 2008. The report for 2009 has yet to be released.

Cyber crime is becoming increasingly rampant, with several high level high profile cases coming to light in recent weeks.

Last month Google threated to pull out of China as it alleged it was reciving coordinated cyber-attacks from China. Earlier this week, International carbon market s were brought to a virtual standstill after hackers stole over 250,000 permits, worth over 3 million euros.