The threat to business from cybercrime is increasing at
a “staggering rate” as organised criminals groom a new generation
of hackers, security experts have warned.
Security firm McAfee’s second annual report on organised crime
and the internet warned that more than 200,000 online threats had
been detected by July.
“It took 18 years to reach the first 100,000 (2004) and only 22
months to double that figure. McAfee’s researchers expect it to
double yet again in a similar timeframe,” the report said.
McAfee security analyst Greg Day added, “Cybercrime is no longer
in its infancy, it is big business. Criminal entrepreneurs can make
fast money with minimal risk and their ranks are growing with that
realisation.
“With technology continually evolving, criminal opportunity is
also growing – opportunity that is global and unrestricted by
geography, language or appearance.”
The report warns that criminal gangs are targeting top
university students and seeking to attract teenagers as young as
14, luring them with the promise of celebrity status in the hacking
community and the opportunity making money without the risks
associated with traditional crime.
It highlights a 25% increase in phishing attacks over the past
year, with a rise in “spear phishing” - tricking people into giving
away user names and passwords with increasingly tailored lures
designed to look as if they have come from employers or work
colleagues.
Botnets – robot networks of illegally linked computers that can
be controlled remotely – are now the preferred method for internet
thieves to effectively execute attacks, with at least 12
million compromised computers being used for phishing, identity
theft and illegal spamming worldwide.
Cybercriminals are also targeting social networking websites,
loading fake pages with adware, spyware and trojans, and collecting
personal information divulged online for fraudulent purposes.
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