There’s some unsettling cyber crime news coming out of the Black Hat cyber security conference that’s being held this week outside of Washington, DC; Reuters reports that an analyst at SecureWorks presented findings showing that organizations are hiring contractors by advertising through online ads, a sort of affiliate program to infect PC's.

According to the report, one website pays $180 dollars for every 1,000 times that malware is downloaded to computers in the US (these pay per installs range in value according to the location).

It’s another telling example of the sophistication of online criminals - with the use of real-world, mainstream methods to carry out online crimes - and the brazen way their illicit business is conducted.