Citizens and nations alike have increasingly become victim to cyber crime in the past year, costing tens of millions of dollars and threatening US security, says the FBI鈥檚 cyber division head.
FBI assistant director Shawn Henry says that organised-crime groups are drawn by the ease of reaching millions of potential victims.
He also says as many as two dozen countries have taken an 鈥渁ggressive interest鈥� in penetrating the networks of US companies and government agencies.
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US intelligence agencies have previously voiced concern that Russia and China have the ability to electronically spy on the US and disrupt computer networks.
Cyber warfare
Cyber attacks are climbing the list of worries for foreign policy officials. In August, Georgia accused Moscow of conducting 鈥渃yber warfare鈥� against its government sites, at the same time as Russian troops began a conventional attack.
US federal agents are working with foreign counterparts where the rising wave of computer attacks has awakened international interest, Henry says. NATO established a 鈥渃yber defence鈥� centre in Estonia earlier this year, a country brought to its knees by internet-based attacks in 2007.
鈥淥ver the past year, the malicious activity has become much more prevalent,鈥� Henry says. 鈥淭he threat continues to increase.鈥�
Earlier this year an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report said international cooperation must be stepped up to head off the economic and security consequences of cyber crime.
Botnets, networks of computers controlled remotely by hackers without their owners realising, are growing in popularity with criminals, Henry says. They can be used to bring down systems connected to the internet, or to steal information. Around one in four US personal computers are part of a botnet.
Pump and dump
鈥淪pearfishing,鈥� when hackers get a copy of a company鈥檚 email list, then send out official-looking requests for employee personal information, has also been a growing problem, he says.
Henry says computer crime has even invaded Wall Street. Some investment companies have lost tens of millions of dollars through 鈥減ump and dump鈥� schemes in which criminals achieved control of multiple client accounts.
The accounts are used in concert to run up the price of low-liquidity stocks. Others then make a large profit when they sell, 鈥渄ump鈥� shares bought at the earlier, low price. Henry makes it clear that such activity had nothing to do with the current global financial problems.
Computer Crime 鈥� Learn more about the threats to your PC in our comprehensive .
