Organized Internet Crime

With the development of the Internet and the continuing evolution of technology, criminals have found a new playground to conduct malicious activities. As technology advances as such a rapid rate, criminals have more and more opportunities to expose loop holes and weak links within companies,operating systems, and public and private institutions. The majority of the internet criminal activity is concentrated on identity and information theft. Some criminals however have no significant purpose or cause, they just simply do it for "fun." The greatest problems in finding and prosecuting these Internet criminals is the differences in international law. What may be illegal in the United States may not be in another country. The country with the greatest number of Internet criminals is Russia. This is because there are no laws prohibiting such activity and some institutions in Russia actually teach "cyber crime."
This information was taken from Symantec Internet security report , which is an analysis of "techniques, sources and motives behind Internet-based attacks." within the previous six-month period. Staying on top of the criminals is difficult because each time technology changes, their methods change. In the United States, the FBI is leading the way of prosecuting online criminals, yet international law provides a safe haven for some criminals who's country will not allow extradition and/or prosecution by another country. However bleak the perspective, there are some signs of progress and hope.
The first step to preventing Internet crime from happening to you is to make sure you or your company have taken the proper precautions. Installing spyware and anti-virus software is a must for any Internet user. And even though most people have it, they fail to update it after the initial installation. Firewalls are a great way to protect yourself, if you know how to set it up correctly. The most important part of Internet security is you. You can start by encrypting data that could be harmful if stolen. Backing up valuable information and storing it on a separate drive so its not connected to the Internet. Scanning audio/video files and email attachments before downloading them. And if you install any software be sure you know where it came from and what purpose it is going to serve. Many precautions can be taken, but its ultimately up to the user to stay continuously aware of their activities and information sharing. The greatest deterrent to Internet crime is to protect yourself before it happens to you.