Russian Business Network: On the Fly - The Genius of the RBN

Why thirty days you ask? Because that is a typical billing cycle. The company assumes, and is usually right, that a user will access their bank account, eBay account, etc within that thirty day period. They aren't simply looking for bank account numbers either. The individuals that rent the RBN's services are looking to steal your whole identity, which they will then sell to a third party. That third party can then use that data to obtain credit cards, passports, open a new bank account, and so forth.

This is part of the genius of the RBN and its users. By spreading out the criminal activity, in much the same way as the Mafia, it's hard to say who is conducting the illegal activity. RBN claims that all they do is sell hosting, and they have no connection to what its users do. The people that gather information from the users' computers aren't technically using that data, and so forth.

Another purported service the Russian Business Network offers is targeted denial of service attacks (DoS). By using thousands of "zombie" computers, they request information from an Internet site, repeatedly, slowing the site and eventually shutting it down.

Recently the country of Estonia came under such an attack and was literally shut down after they planned to take down a statue of a Russian hero. Many point a finger at the RBN, though they have not claimed responsibility.

And finally, an increasing part of RBN's business is the use of fake anti-spyware/malware. They create sites offering users free downloads of software to test for spyware and malware on their computers. The programs run on a computer and generate false warning messages, prompting the user to purchase the full version of their software.

{One of the Fake RBN Anti-Spyware/Malware sites}

Next: Who Runs the RBN >>
 

More Web Hosting News Articles
More By James Payne