Tools of Cyber-Crime
Internet-based crime is one of the highest-rising and hardest types of wrongdoing to track and stop. The tools of the cyber-criminal are many, including viruses and attacking web pages. Computer users must maintain up-to-date anti-viral and security software to ensure safe browsing.
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Web Page-Based Attacks
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Cyber-criminals will often create elaborate web pages meant to look like legitimate businesses or copies of actual websites a consumer may visit. Once the page loads into the web browser, it launches malicious software or other virus forms into the personal computer through the web browser's cache. These viruses can be designed to do any number of things, from hijacking email accounts to creating copies of itself or farming out user information stored on the computer, such as bank account and credit card numbers.
An International Scheme
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A common example of cyber-crime, in particular international cyber-crime, is when a criminal takes advantage of jurisdictional differences between governments. A criminal may sell fake merchandise from Germany, with the items marketed to Americans in Ohio, Maryland and Georgia. He may then route his Internet access through several other countries before it reaches its final destination. Stopping this requires the cooperation of state governments, the federal government and international agencies in tracking down the criminal and bringing him in. The problem is that not all governments cooperate with one another, and one failed link in the chain can cause the entire investigation to collapse.
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Purchased Virus Packs
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According to a report by the BBC, in late 2007 cyber-criminals were selling on the open market the tools that make their schemes so successful. Pre-made virus packages can be purchased for as a little as $20. More lethal packages, including the dreaded MPack virus that hides in website URLs, often without the user's or administrator's knowledge, can be purchased for less then $1,000. The market for this type of illegal commerce is only increasing, putting the onus on Internet security companies like Symantec and McAfee to step up their efforts in preventing cyber-crime.
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References
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