Increasing numbers of
teenagers are dabbling in cybercrime, with security experts
saying many internet forums are populated by teenagers swapping
credit card numbers, phishing kits and hacking tips.
But the poor technical skills of many young hackers means they
are
very likely to get caught and arrested, they say.
"I see kids of 11 and 12 sharing credit card details and asking
for hacks," Chris Boyd, director of malware research at FaceTime
Security, told the BBC.
Boyd said he spent a lot of time tracking down the creators of
nuisance programs written to exploit users of social networking
sites, and that the culprit was often a teenager.
From these nuisance programs, he said, many progress to criminal
practices such as using phishing kits to create and run their own
scams.
"Some are quite crude, some are clever and some are stupid," he
told the BBC.
The teenagers' attempts to make money from cybercrime usually
come unstuck because of their poor technical skills.
Video:
Chris Boyd on how to track a teenage hacker >>