When nefarious types are in need of remote PCs to do their dirty work, they can turn to underground, invitation-only services that rent out computers owned by marks who aren’t aware their hardware is being prostituted.

In a Krebs on Security story that investigates such services, the author reports PC renters can pick and choose their rentals via frighteningly sophisticated systems. He tried such a service and found 4,100 computers available in 75 countries, with most located in the U.S. He could select a rental by searching such criteria as city, IP range, ISP and connection speed. The price for a rented PC was a dollar a day after paying an initial $150 fee.

The author tracked down the owner of one of the hacked PCs, who had no idea her machine was available on the shady service.

What do you do to guard your computer from hackers?

Is Your Computer Listed “For Rent”? [Krebs on Security via Slashdot]

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