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Date Posted: 04:09:38 06/07/04 Mon
Author: Billy
Subject: Computers, spam and you: the crime world’s new tools

Computers, spam and you: the crime world’s new tools


By Iain S Bruce


ORGANISED crime gangs are targeting Scottish computer users in a battle to control the electronic underworld.
The Mafia-styled gangs are using junk mailings – spam – to try to hijack net users’ home computers to perpetrate scams estimated to be worth £1 billion a year in the UK alone.

They use viruses to control an expanding network of machines which they dedicate to electronic theft, extortion and fraud. Experts claim online hoods are now distributing more than a third of all spam through innocent dupes.

Citing examples such as the Scots computer user skinned of more than £20,000 by a Nigerian crime syndicate’s e-mail fraud, security specialists claim that new UK and EU laws against spamming have only increased interest from underworld organisations based in Russia, China and the Far East.

“We’re seeing a joining of the spam, virus and hacker scenes under the aegis of organised crime. The major gangs know there is a lot of money to be had and are putting the squeeze on independents to consolidate their control of the business,” said Russian digital security specialist Eugene Kaspersky. “Spammers and virus developers are increasingly aware that sooner or later the mafia will come knocking on their door. After that, the gangsters’ next visit will be to your home computer.”

Using “Trojan horse” tools like the notorious My-Doom virus to gain control of infected machines and send millions of e-mails without the owner’s knowledge, gangs are opening up a rich new vein of criminal options. In a recent attack on payment broker PayPal, one such variant harvested information giving its author’s full access to victims’ accounts.

Gangs are now distributing millions of e-mails disguised as legitimate requests that users update credit-card details, bank account numbers or passwords using the weblink provided. Known as “phishing”, the scam works by directing recipients to a counterfeit site that collects the critical information for nefarious use.

Two million Americans have fallen prey to such scams and subsequently demanded reimbursement from their financial institutions. In the UK, phishing cases aimed at Halifax, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds TSB and HSBC customers increased by 178% during April alone, while police report that three high street players each lost more than £20m last year.

Despite National High-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) estimates that cyber-thugs will extract in excess of £21m from the Scottish public in 2004 .

“Spam is ripe for organised crime because it traditionally relates to the vice and drugs industry, but the scatter-gun approach is untargeted and inefficient,” said Professor Neil Barrett, technical director at Information Risk Management. “What fits perfectly with the mafia business model, however, is the capability to threaten companies for the purposes of extortion.”

In the gambling frenzy for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup online bookmakers including William Hill, Totalbet and Coral risked a devastating blockade by snubbing demands for £10,000, but others are believed to have acquiesced rather than risk missing out on the betting bonanza.

“Financial institutions are fighting an ongoing battle to combat and mitigate ever-increasing security threats and attacks,” said Deloitte Touche analyst Ted DeZabala, who last week released research showing the number of cyber-attacks on financial institutions has doubled since last year.

However the NHTCU’s 2003 e-crime survey suggests 75% of businesses don’t report digital offences. Although 83% of firms admit suffering such attacks, concern that publicity might put off customers buys their silence.


How to keep the mob out



Never respond to e-mails requesting confirmation of passwords or account details – no legitimate company would make such a request.

If plagued by spam, contact your ISP to discuss filtering options.

When visiting commercial sites, look for a locked padlock symbol at the bottom of your browser to ensure they’re secure.

Install a free personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com) to block unauthorised internet traffic.

Don’t reply to spam or click on mailing list “removal” links – these only confirm your address and encourage suspect mail.

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