Internet crime a major commercial activity

by Gill Montia

Story link: Internet crime a major commercial activity

Symantec, the security firm, is raising awareness about Internet crime, which it sees as developing into a major commercial activity.

In a newly published report, Symantec describes underworld auction sites where bank and credit card details can be purchased, along with the software used by criminals to attack websites.

Also for sale are phishing kits, which can be used to create spurious banking sites that exploit unsuspecting customers.

Symantec discovered online discussion boards that exist to provide members with the opportunity to buy and sell the kind of information that enables identity theft.

One such site is currently offering everything from 100 million email addresses to bank logins and credit card details.

The security firm is keen to warn users of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook that criminals are accessing such sites to launch attacks on users’ computers.

Meanwhile, banks continue to reassure customers using online banking facilities that they should have confidence in the range of security measures designed to protect their data.

According to Nick Staib of HSBC, banks do not publicise the steps they take to protect customer accounts and identities but they “do an awful lot behind the scenes to keep people safe.”

Figures from APACS, the UK payments association, show that the number of adults in the UK using online banking increased to 17 million in 2006, compared with 6.2 million in 2001.