Cybercrime boom

Date: March 24, 2007
Source: canada.com


Cybercrime is such a massive business that it will soon rival the illegal drug trade in revenue. This dire prediction from an expert with security software maker McAfee comes as online conmen still find easy prey in careless Internet users.

As companies get smart about computer security and build solid defences from invaders, hackers turn their attention to consumers. Well-funded underground criminal organizations are creating malicious programs that can infect thousands of computers at a time, said Ron Nguyen, a director of Foundstone, a Texas security consulting firm owned by McAfee.

But all the security software on a computer cannot stop these attacks if a user is careless. "You can have the most advanced alarm system in your home, but it's useless if you leave your front door open at night," he said. The most common online slip-up is responding to fraudulent e-mails, known as phishing attacks.
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