Computer crime is any criminal activity involving the use of information technology such as a desktop, laptop or server computer. Cybercrime is committed on these networks when they are used for unauthorized access or illegal interception, data or systems interference, misuse of computing and related devices, forgery and phishing (ID theft), electronic fraud and abusive behavior.
A recent PCMag.com article predicts that “cybercrime is likely to wreak as much havoc as the credit crisis in the coming years…” According to Kilian Strauss, a computer security expert from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), cybercrime will cause over $100 billion in financial damage annually on a worldwide basis. In August of this year, the US Department of Justice brought charges against several men (mostly foreign nationals) operating an international stolen credit and debit card distribution ring operating globally from the United States, Ukraine, Balarus, Estonia, China, the Philippines and Thailand. The cybercrime ring successfully generated over $20 million of ill gained revenue.
The current effort to stop cybercrime has been largely uncoordinated. Home and business computer users lack the most basic information about cybercrime threats, let alone time sensitive or emerging and evolving threats. A coalition of public and private stakeholders, including consumer advocates, businesses, governmental agencies (law enforcement and legislative bodies) must be formed to better educate and protect the public against this growing threat to the world economy. Organizations such as the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Terrorism (IMPACT) http://www.impact-alliance.org are beginning to fill the void.
Only a coordinated effort that includes cybercrime awareness and prevention training, aggressive legislative action and enforcement and the deployment of the latest security technologies will begin to turn back the rapid growth of cybercrime. Security software such as ESET NOD32 and ESET Smart Security is a big part of the solution, but more is needed.
Posts
