[ news_security_news ]
Cybercrime Grows Up
Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
2006-09-15
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
According to Christopher Painter, cybercrime is no longer the result of a few teenagers with some time on their hands. It is becoming the domain of serious criminals, and they often belong to organized syndicates.
Painter is a Deputy Chief of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section at the Department of Justice, and he spoke to Reuters this week on the subject of cybercrime. "There has been a change in the people who attack computer networks, away from the ‘bragging hacker' (and) toward those driven by monetary motives," he said.
"There are still instances of these ‘lone gunman' hackers," Painter (whose 15-word job description will not be mentioned again) continued, "but more and more, we are seeing organized criminal groups, groups that are often organized online, targeting victims via the Internet." This isn't a trend that benefits the general public.
"There is no question the threats are varied, and the perpetrators are more sophisticated," Painter stated. "On the upside, the response is also getting better . . . . In the United States, certainly, sentencing has become more significant in the recognition of the seriousness of Internet crime."
Despite these toughening standards, cybercrime is still a serious problem. "The FBI estimates that all types of computer crime in the United States cost industry about $400 billion, while in Britain, the Department of Trade and Industry said computer crime had risen by 50 percent over the last two years," the Reuters article revealed.
And as troublesome as this type of criminal activity is, a large portion of the population may remain completely baffled by it. According to Painter, "Because crimes are committed online, a lot of people still don't understand what is happening."
Tag: Cybercrime
Add to  Del.icio.us |  Digg |  Yahoo! My Web |  Furl
Get all the updates in RSS: 
About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for SecurityProNews, InternetFinancialNews, SearchNewz, and WebProNews.
More news_security_news Articles
Insider Reports RSS Feed
|
|
iEntry 10th Anniversary
RSS
Archive
