- Category
- Latest news
Hackers Sell Admin Access to Major Russian Companies on Darknet for $200
Hackers have begun selling large-scale access to the IT infrastructure of Russian companies through darknet marketplaces, The Moscow Times reported on August 22, 2025. The offers include administrator credentials and privileged system accounts, with prices starting from $100–200 and in some cases reaching several thousand dollars, depending on the level of access provided.
“Such access allows attackers to disrupt operations, steal intellectual property, or extort companies,” one cybersecurity specialist told The Moscow Times, adding that Russian firms have become “especially vulnerable” due to chronic underinvestment in information security and the departure of IT professionals following the war in Ukraine.
According to the report, the listings grant full control over internal networks, corporate email platforms, databases, and financial software. Cybersecurity experts note that most of the compromised data appears to have been obtained through phishing campaigns, malware infections, and the exploitation of outdated software.
Several of the ads target large enterprises in energy, logistics, and manufacturing, sectors considered vital to Russia’s economy.
Analysts emphasize that the scale and consistency of these darknet sales point to coordinated campaigns rather than isolated incidents. They also warn that the access on offer could be used not only by criminal groups but also by state-linked actors, given the blurred lines between cybercrime and intelligence operations in the region.
Earlier, it was reported that Russian state-linked hackers exploited a long-standing vulnerability in Cisco’s IOS software to breach thousands of networking devices critical to infrastructure worldwide, extracting configuration files for espionage and reconnaissance purposes.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
