[IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE]
[IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE]
[IMAGE] [IMAGE] 2 Years of Cybercrime [IMAGE]
[IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE]
Click here a listing of events where law enforcement officials have been successful in convicting cybercriminals (PDF).
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]

Crime and Punishment
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service boast a nationwide network of task forces to investigate cybercrime. Many cases are complicated, manpower-intensive, and involve working with ISPs and law enforcement overseas, says Larry Johnson, a recently retired Secret Service special agent in charge of the criminal investigative division. Online thieves use a number of aliases and are adept at hiding thei...

There have been successes taking down cybercriminals (see "2 Years of Cybercrime"). Individuals like Ancheta--who pleaded guilty to charges--have recently been taken out of commission, as have larger organized groups. In 2004, the Secret Service's Operation Firewall led to 21 arrests in the U.S. and shut down an international online center, Shawdowcrew.com, which had about 4,000 members and trafficked stolen identity information including credit and bank card numbers. Several others were arrested abroad. The case remains under investigation, says a Department of Justice official.

In March, the Secret Service announced Operation Rolling Stone, which targets fraud and identity theft and netted 22 arrests in the U.S. and U.K. The operation is part of an effort to crack down on online forums selling stolen credit cards, ID information and malware.

Law enforcement officials say they're concerned attackers will bypass identity scams and go directly to financial institutions to drain accounts, or break into large corporate databases to snatch thousands of identities at once. Businesses must also be aware of the threat posed by insiders closest to precious assets.

In Maxwell's case, powerful university computers were turned into bots that scanned for additional vulnerable servers.

< PREV PAGE   |   1  |   2  |   3  |   4  |   5  |   6  |   NEXT PAGE  >