Cyber Crime

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.d...

October 17, 2008 (Computerworld) The ability of malware writers to consistently stay ahead of those seeking to stop them has been a constant factor in the security industry over the past several years.

[Editors Note: In an age of increasingly sophisticated technology-based cyber crime it is all too easy to forget that the key to success of many if not most cyber exploits is what hackers call "social engineering". Extracting passwords or other sensitive information through seemingly innocuous conversations, crafting web pages, email scams, and phishing schemes that mimic or manipulate reality in ways that pray on the weaknesses of individual psychology.

http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=6...

Finjan announced the latest findings by its Malicious Code Research Center (MCRC). In its latest trends report for Q2 2008, the MCRC identifies and analyzes the latest Crimeware business operations, and provides a first-of-its-kind insider's look at the organizational structure of Cybercrime organizations. It all makes the cybercrime more successful and profitable than ever.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/26...
Submitted by Layer 8 on Wed, 03/19/2008 - 11:33am

A group of international cyber cops is ramping up plans to fight online crime across borders. 

http://software.silicon.com/security/0,390246...

Police chief: Cyber crime is everywhere. Creeping into all organised crime

By Nick Heath

Published: 19 March 2008 12:00 GMT

The head of e-crime for the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), Sharon Lemon, has warned e-crime is so widespread it now plays a role in nearly every criminal investigation.

Lemon said that with computers widely used by criminals it was essential for each of the UK's 43 police forces to be able to tackle e-crime.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArtic...

The CIA on Friday admitted that cyberattacks have caused at least one power outage affecting multiple cities outside the United States.

Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, said that CIA senior analyst Tom Donahue confirmed that online attackers had caused at least one blackout. The disclosure was made at a New Orleans security conference Friday attended by international government officials, engineers, and security managers from North American energy companies and utilities.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/29/fbi.botnet...

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Hackers fleeced one bank institution of millions,
FBI saysBotnets are responsible for an estimated $20 million in losses and theft
FBI director calls botnets "the Swiss Army knives of cyber crime"
Clicking on Web ads, opening e-mail attachments can make computer vulnerable

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...

Shadowy Russian Firm Seen as Conduit for Cybercrime

By Brian Krebs
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Saturday, October 13, 2007; A15

An Internet business based in St. Petersburg has become a world hub for Web sites devoted to child pornography, spamming and identity theft, according to computer security experts. They say Russian authorities have provided little help in efforts to shut down the company.

The Russian Business Network sells Web site hosting to people engaged in criminal activity, the security experts say.

Groups operating through the company's computers are thought to be responsible for about half of last year's incidents of "phishing" -- ID-theft scams in which cybercrooks use e-mail to lure people into entering personal and financial data at fake commerce and banking sites.

One group of phishers, known as the Rock Group, used the company's network to steal about $150 million from bank accounts last year, according to a report by VeriSign of Mountain View, Calif., one of the world's largest Internet security firms.

In another recent report, the Cupertino, Calif.-based security firm Symantec said that the Russian Business Network is responsible for hosting Web sites that carry out a major portion of the world's cybercrime and profiteering.