Cybercrime

By Patricia Jordan



Cybercrime includes all criminal offences that are committed with the aid of a computer, network or hardware device. 
Most cybercriminals are motivated by fraud and are constantly searching for unprotected computers and networks that can be used to commit a cybercrime.

There are a variety of types of cybercrime. One type is a single event when a victim unknowingly downloads a Trojan horse that installs a keystroke logger, virus or rootkit from a compromised website or an email. A rootkit is a program that is designed to take unauthorized control of a computer or network. Examples of this type of crime include denial-of-service attacks, economic or industrial espionage, identity theft, malicious code, phishing, spamming, theft of service and unauthorized access. 





Cybercrime has become increasingly subjugated by a new breed of cybercriminal. These criminals often use online cybercrime services to install crimeware toolkits rather than dealing with the technical challenges of running a crimeware server. Services include automatic updates, support and enhancements such as evasive anti-forensics techniques and integration of code-obfuscation.



You can protect your computer by ensuring it is configured securely and keeping it current with the latest software patches and updates. Choose strong passwords and protect your personal information. Change the default administration username and password if you use a wireless network (WiFi) and turn on wireless encryption and enable the firewall in your wireless router. Each device that is connected will need a firewall as well. Give your network a unique ID. The service set identifier (SSID) is the name you see when you look for available wireless connections with your laptop. Refrain from using default names such as linksys or default, as other people in your neighbourhood may do the same. If you use WiFi access in public places, take precautions to ensure you are not broadcasting passwords and other personal information to anyone running a sniffer program in the vicinity.



If you are the victim of an online attack, immediately disconnect your computer from the Internet by disconnecting your wireless connection or unplugging the network cable, phone or cable line from your computer. You can also disable the network connection by clicking on the Windows start menu and selecting “Settings,” then “Network Connections.” You will then need to right-click on “Network Connections” and select the “disable” option. If your computer or network has been compromised, scan it with an up-to-date antivirus program and back up critical information. You may also need to re-install your computer’s operating system.


Visit symantec.com for more information about cybercrime and securing your computer or network.

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Toolkit Kelped Cyberthief Skim $3.2M from US Government
GMANews
September 15, 2011

By using various criminal toolkits, a Russia-based cybercriminal in his early 20s has managed to steal $3.2 million from major US corporations in six months, computer security firm Trend Micro said.

Trend Micro said the attacker, identified only as "Soldier," uses criminal toolkits including SpyEye and ZeuS for crimeware, as well as exploit kits such as those for driving blackhat search engine optimization (SEO).

Read the full article.

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Cybercriminals Have Their Eyes Set on Bitcoin

By Michael Tants (Threats Analyst – EMEA Regional TrendLabs)

September 15, 2011

It seems like Bitcoin is gaining popularity not only in the computing industry, but in the threat landscape as well.

We’ve recently reported a couple of attacks involving malware that installs a Bitcoin mining application into affected systems. Apart from turning systems into unwilling “miners”, such malware also disrupt usage, since the mining process takes up a great deal of system resources.

Read the full article.

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Soldier SpyEyes a Jackpot

By Loucif Kharouni (Senior Threat Researcher)

September 14, 2011

Mass attack by “Soldier” ensnares major US corporations in its net, steals $3.2 million in 6 months, causes organizations and individuals to be vulnerable to future attack; 90+ other countries hit by shrapnel.

For some time now, we’ve been investigating the operations of a certain cybercriminal: a young man in his early 20s who resides in Russia. During our investigation, we discovered that the attacker uses various criminal toolkits including SpyEye and ZeuS for crimeware, as well as exploit kits such as those for driving blackhat SEO to propagate his SpyEye/ZeuS binaries.

Read the full article.