Hacker training site backup lives after takedown by China

Chinese authorities are making a cursory effort to crack down on hackers as of late, and have shut down hacker training website Black Hawk Safety Net. According to state-run news organization Xinhua, police in the Hubei Province made three arrests associated with the massive recruiting site and have confiscated numerous assets, including cash, servers, and a Honda Accord. With all eyes on China thanks to the Great Google Scandal of 2010, a move like this may calm fears that China is allowing itself to become a Wild West of cybercriminals. The problem is that Black Hawk already has a contingency plan in place and may be back sooner than later.

Police allege Black Hawk Safety Net is responsible for distributing hacking tools, viruses, and malware for members to use, and say that it is among the largest—if not the largest—of such sites in the country. According to Xinhua, the site has more than 12,000 VIP members plus 170,000 free members, and has collected over 7 million yuan (just over US$1 million at today's conversion rates) in membership fees. When police raided the site, they confiscated nine servers, five computers, and froze some 1.7 million yuan in cash, though the paper reported that this was part of a long-term effort to investigate the site.