Colonel
10th Jan '07 Wed, 13:34
A new research by the security company McAfee revealed that groups of cyber criminals are recruiting young computer students using tactics echoing those employed by the KGB during the cold war.
The report, which is based on several contributions from Europe's leading hi-tech crime units and the FBI, highlights a new trend among cyber crime organizations that are now recruiting top students from leading academic institutions to provide them with the skills they need to commit hi-tech crime on a mass scale.
Money, desire for challenges and the possibility to enter the “world of hacking” and get a sort of “celebrity status”, are attractive elements for teens.
In last years, Cyber crime has established a sort of Cult and members are almost celebrities within hacking communities. That’s why the guys involved in cyber crime do not realize immediately the gravity of their activities: most of them would never join a street gang, and they would never accept to compare digital intrusions and identity theft to common robberies and other forms of crime.
They move on a ground that doesn’t convey the risks associated with traditional crime and they use technical skills to pursue their purposes, rather than weapons and physical threats.
"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," said Patrick Hayati, McAfee Regional Director in Middle East.
According to the report, cyber offenders use to perpetrate their crimes into public places such as Internet cafes and wi-fi enabled coffee shops, rather then in their bedrooms.
What’s more the report shows how taking advantage of inadequate company security procedures, current and former employees, contractors and suppliers are instigating the vast majority of hacking attacks. Cybercrooks are sponsoring graduates with a view to gaining the lucrative insiders view of enterprises.
-From the net
The report, which is based on several contributions from Europe's leading hi-tech crime units and the FBI, highlights a new trend among cyber crime organizations that are now recruiting top students from leading academic institutions to provide them with the skills they need to commit hi-tech crime on a mass scale.
Money, desire for challenges and the possibility to enter the “world of hacking” and get a sort of “celebrity status”, are attractive elements for teens.
In last years, Cyber crime has established a sort of Cult and members are almost celebrities within hacking communities. That’s why the guys involved in cyber crime do not realize immediately the gravity of their activities: most of them would never join a street gang, and they would never accept to compare digital intrusions and identity theft to common robberies and other forms of crime.
They move on a ground that doesn’t convey the risks associated with traditional crime and they use technical skills to pursue their purposes, rather than weapons and physical threats.
"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," said Patrick Hayati, McAfee Regional Director in Middle East.
According to the report, cyber offenders use to perpetrate their crimes into public places such as Internet cafes and wi-fi enabled coffee shops, rather then in their bedrooms.
What’s more the report shows how taking advantage of inadequate company security procedures, current and former employees, contractors and suppliers are instigating the vast majority of hacking attacks. Cybercrooks are sponsoring graduates with a view to gaining the lucrative insiders view of enterprises.
-From the net