A Look at How Cybercrime Went Professional
Date : 20 Aug 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkAs Russian and Georgian soldiers were flinging explosive artillery shells at each other, both sides in the South Ossetia conflict were also exploiting the very latest in cyber aggression, using techniques honed by professional gangsters specializing in online crime.
Although the attacks are largely untraceable, both sides are pointing the finger firmly at each other. Russian reports claim that South Ossetian government sites were brought down by Georgian hackers. But Georgian institutions, including government departments and the National Bank, have also suffered a string of attacks. Georgia's foreign ministry is posting all news content to the Polish President's Web site after its own was taken out when President Mikheil Saakashvili's pages were replaced with pictures of Adolf Hitler. Meanwhile, reports also claim that Russia's RIA Novosti news agency site is being targeted and crashed.
Such tactics are not only political weapons. The start of the Beijing Olympics last week kicked off a slew of malicious Internet activity. Some are relatively indiscriminate -- using malicious software embedded in innocent Web sites, often of news organizations with audience numbers boosted by their sports coverage, which then infects the visitor's computer.
Some are more sophisticated. MessageLabs, a security company, detected a bogus e-mail sent to at least 19 national sporting organizations that purported to be International Olympic Committee information on media plans for the Games, but was actually carrying a Trojan which takes control of the PC and scans all files and networks to steal information.
Hacking, which was once the preserve of tech-savvy teenagers showing off, has turned into big business. By some estimates, organized crime represents up to 20 percent of the global GDP, and...