Novice computer hacking kits found for sale on eBay

Kits that claim to help people hack into computers have been discovered for sale on the auction website eBay.

Security experts found a selection of CDs, DVDs and programs for sale on eBay that promise to help buyers learn how to break into computers over the net.

One CD - claiming to be on sale "for educational use only" - promises details of how to access other people's computers and contains a selection of programs commonly used for hacking. It is available through the site for £5.99.

Many of the programs form the basic building blocks for computer crime, allowing even inexperienced hackers to find ways to get inside their victims' computers, or of masking their identities.

Although such tools are often downloaded for free or sold on the black market, such trade usually happens in remote corners of the internet.

"This is a serious development," said Geoff Sweeney of the security company Tier-3, which spotted the auctions. "It basically puts high level hacking tools ... into the hands of almost any internet user."

Programs for sale include "email bombers" - used to send thousands of spam messages, often containing viruses - and software that can be used to crack open protected files and passwords.

Since amendments to the Computer Misuse Act last year, it is illegal to supply software and tools with the knowledge that they will be used to commit crimes.