![]() Such systems theoretically control more computing power than the world’s fastest supercomputers (Krebs, 2007).Įxtortionists might leverage botnets or hacked data to demand payment to avoid retribution. Botnets have been discovered that are capable of sending out 100 billion spam messages a day (Higgins, 2008), and botnets as large as 10 million zombies have been identified. This includes sending spam from thousands of difficult-to-shut-down accounts, launching tough-to-track click fraud efforts or staging what’s known as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks (effectively shutting down Web sites by overwhelming them with a crushing load of seemingly legitimate requests sent simultaneously by thousands of machines). Botnets of zombie computers (networks of infiltrated and compromised machines controlled by a central command) are used for all sorts of nefarious activity. In fact, your computer may be up for rent by cyber thieves right now. A cybercrook might deliberately hop through several systems to make his path difficult to follow, slowing cross-border legal pursuit or even thwarting prosecution if launched from nations without extradition agreements. Hackers might also infiltrate computer systems to enlist hardware for subsequent illegal acts. Law enforcement has taken down sites like DarkMarket and ShadowCrew, in which card thieves and hacking tool peddlers received eBay-style seller ratings vouching for the “quality” of their wares (Singel, 2008). These collection and resale operations are efficient and sophisticated. There is a thriving cybercrime underworld market in which data harvesters sell to cash-out fraudsters: criminals who might purchase data from the harvesters in order to buy (then resell) goods using stolen credit cards or create false accounts via identity theft. While some steal cash for their own use, other resell their hacking take to others. banks in the first three quarters of 2009, and they did it “without drawing a gun or passing a note to a teller” (Kroft, 2009). Compromising computing assets for use in other crimesĬriminals have stolen more than $100 million from U.S.Account theft and illegal funds transfer.There are a lot of bad guys out there, and motivations vary widely, including the following: And flatter organizations also mean that lower-level employees may be able to use technology to reach deep into corporate assets-amplifying threats from operator error, a renegade employee, or one compromised by external forces. Corporations have become data packrats, hoarding information in hopes of turning bits into bucks by licensing databases, targeting advertisements, or cross-selling products. Different vendors, each with their own potential weaknesses, provide technology components that may be compromised by misuse, misconfiguration, or mismanagement. Software and hardware solutions are also more complex than ever. ![]() ![]() Today, nearly every organization is online, making any Internet-connected network a potential entry point for the growing worldwide community of computer criminals. Thieves, vandals, and other bad guys have always existed, but the environment has changed. Relate examples of various infiltrations in a way that helps raise organizational awareness of threats.Understand the source and motivation of those initiating information security attacks.After studying this section you should be able to do the following: ![]()
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