eBay Warning: Hacking Software Available in Auctions

Programs covering the full range of hacking software, from Trojans to keyloggers to step-by-step tutorials on how to effectively hack Web sites and personal information have now entered auction house eBay, raising the concern of one security company.

"It's a simple matter of searching for it now" said Magida Ezzat, marketing communications manager at PC Tools.

"It's also very, very cheap - it's possible to even get it for free." Although the programs have become readily available on the Internet outside of eBay, the concern is that eBay is a site accessed by the general public, and the sale of hacking software through it is raising awareness with new audiences. "People don't need to be highly technical to access and use hacking software," Ezzat said.

Although awareness of how to obtain and use hacking software is on the rise, policing and preventing the sale of the software remains difficult.

"For a Web site as large as eBay, policing is a near-impossible task," Ezzat said. Despite this, security-focused Web sites such as eBay are aware of the problem. "Hacking software that was available yesterday has been taken off the auctions today," Ezzat said.

The good news is that hacking software auctions aren't very popular at this stage. A search of the eBay Web site reveals that very few auctions featuring hacking software have any bids.