Cyber Thieves
Dennis Michael Gannon
October 23, 2008
Using today´s technology
Thieves in today´s society aren´t coming in through the windows or doors anymore, now they keep their selves at a distance and are attacking their prey by using the technology that so many of us depend on in today´s society. The internet not only provides us with the comfort of performing our every day tasks but it has become a way of life.
And the thieves and hackers are counting on our dependency to stalk and reap the rewards for using the same technology against us. Throughout the United States alone, the thieves have formed groups or rings as you may call them. They utilize technology to intercept financial data that is being transmitted from the businesses that they target and this has turned into a multi-million dollar revenue source.
An expert with the Department of defense said such a scheme can get started by a thief with a laptop, driving around town until he finds a business with wireless computer networks. The thief finds it easy to breach an insecure wireless network, and then taps into the computer and collects the victim´s credit card numbers and other data.
The invasion of the Social Networks
With today´s population another means of social contact, or meeting people has became extremely popular. The social networks that are so prevalent on the internet are making it easier and easier for people from all walks of life to meet and form relationships across the globe. And as these relationships blossom, so does the carefree attitude about sharing personal experiences and information.
The thieves of today are also aware of the growing audiences of these networks and have already started to target their victims. According to an article in on BBC news, in 2008 these sites will become an attack vector for the hi-tech gangs who are now behind the vast majority of cyber crime. This data can give criminals knowledge about the names of employees at a company, insight in its managerial make-up or information about its processes to lend credibility to other attacks.
The big challenge for now and the coming future is for individuals and companies alike, is to recognize these problems and the vulnerability of these networks and find means to counter the attacks. By making systems more secure and more complicated, my not be as successful as just refraining from volunteering the detailed information that the thieves are searching for.
Family members bond through communicating via email and sharing letters, photos and videos over the Internet. Students receive their education through multimedia over the Internet and get evaluated on their home-works, projects, exams and research developed on their computers. Unfortunately, the same power of computer technology can be applied by cyber-thieves to illegitimately gain access to personal data of family members and students stored on their computers.
If you are a family member or a student and have Internet connection to a computer in your home or office and value your computer data you may reconsider your options of keeping this information. Try finding a means of locking or encrypting this information from entry. This can protect you from the prying eyes of family members or students in your classes or others by providing strong protection to your data for a small investment. There are programs available to keep this information safe such as a program called Silent Vault. These types of programs will keep your information well protected from prying eyes.
And finally, one of the most common, but commonly overlooked, the identity theft villain is a member or ex-member of the victim's own family. Dishonest family members rely on the premise that they will not get caught, and if they do, they believe the affected family member will not press charges. In many cases, this is a correct assumption. Tragically, these thieves often steal the identity or financial information from the most vulnerable in their families, such as elderly parents or grandparents.
Thieves in today´s society aren´t coming in through the windows or doors anymore, now they keep their selves at a distance and are attacking their prey by using the technology that so many of us depend on in today´s society. The internet not only provides us with the comfort of performing our every day tasks but it has become a way of life.
And the thieves and hackers are counting on our dependency to stalk and reap the rewards for using the same technology against us. Throughout the United States alone, the thieves have formed groups or rings as you may call them. They utilize technology to intercept financial data that is being transmitted from the businesses that they target and this has turned into a multi-million dollar revenue source.
An expert with the Department of defense said such a scheme can get started by a thief with a laptop, driving around town until he finds a business with wireless computer networks. The thief finds it easy to breach an insecure wireless network, and then taps into the computer and collects the victim´s credit card numbers and other data.
The invasion of the Social Networks
With today´s population another means of social contact, or meeting people has became extremely popular. The social networks that are so prevalent on the internet are making it easier and easier for people from all walks of life to meet and form relationships across the globe. And as these relationships blossom, so does the carefree attitude about sharing personal experiences and information.
The thieves of today are also aware of the growing audiences of these networks and have already started to target their victims. According to an article in on BBC news, in 2008 these sites will become an attack vector for the hi-tech gangs who are now behind the vast majority of cyber crime. This data can give criminals knowledge about the names of employees at a company, insight in its managerial make-up or information about its processes to lend credibility to other attacks.
The big challenge for now and the coming future is for individuals and companies alike, is to recognize these problems and the vulnerability of these networks and find means to counter the attacks. By making systems more secure and more complicated, my not be as successful as just refraining from volunteering the detailed information that the thieves are searching for.
Family members bond through communicating via email and sharing letters, photos and videos over the Internet. Students receive their education through multimedia over the Internet and get evaluated on their home-works, projects, exams and research developed on their computers. Unfortunately, the same power of computer technology can be applied by cyber-thieves to illegitimately gain access to personal data of family members and students stored on their computers.
If you are a family member or a student and have Internet connection to a computer in your home or office and value your computer data you may reconsider your options of keeping this information. Try finding a means of locking or encrypting this information from entry. This can protect you from the prying eyes of family members or students in your classes or others by providing strong protection to your data for a small investment. There are programs available to keep this information safe such as a program called Silent Vault. These types of programs will keep your information well protected from prying eyes.
And finally, one of the most common, but commonly overlooked, the identity theft villain is a member or ex-member of the victim's own family. Dishonest family members rely on the premise that they will not get caught, and if they do, they believe the affected family member will not press charges. In many cases, this is a correct assumption. Tragically, these thieves often steal the identity or financial information from the most vulnerable in their families, such as elderly parents or grandparents.