February 5, 2010

It’s a busy time of year for the U.S. government. The IRS is processing tax returns and the US Census Bureau is preparing to distribute millions of census forms. All this activity creates the “perfect storm” of opportunity for Internet thieves.

If you receive an email notification asking you to download a census form, National White Collar Crime Center computer crimes expert Nick Newman says don’t do it! “These files aren’t actually from the census bureau, they’re from criminals abroad and the form they download is actually malware.” It’s also important to keep in mind that the Census Bureau will never initiate correspondence via email. Newman says your best bet is to simply stay out of the spam box!

Phishing schemes and malware tied to IRS forms are nothing new...criminals have been working on new and improved versions of that scam every year for more than a decade. During that time however, consumer awareness of the potential dangers has increased significantly. Consequently, the vast pool of potential victims has shrunk considerably. But the potential hazards linked to the census have received very little media attention and as a result, many Americans could wind up playing right into the hands of cyber crooks.

January 29, 2010

Children can be especially cruel to one another and teenagers are no exception. The apparent target in this case was Phoebe Prince- a 15-year old girl who had recently moved from Ireland to South Hadley, Massachusetts.  A published report says the teenager had been taunted by her classmates through text messages, Facebook and other social networking sites.  Ultimately, Prince would take her own life and now, two of her fellow classmates have been suspended and school officials say other students may be disciplined as well.

While there’s no way to prove that the taunting triggered the suicide, all we need do is look back on the tragic circumstances in the now-infamous Lori Drew case for some perspective.  Drew is the Missouri woman who was charged with four potential felony counts of unauthorized computer access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for having misrepresented herself on the popular social network MySpace by creating a phony profile and using it to bully 13-year old Megan Meier.  The teenager killed herself shortly after receiving a message in October 2006 that said, in part, “The world would be a better place without you.”  At trial, the jury convicted Drew of three misdemeanor counts of accessing a computer without authorization.  But a judge would later overturn those convictions, saying the government’s interpretation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) “would convert a multitude of otherwise innocent Internet users into misdemeanant criminals.”

While the judge may have been correct in the final analysis, that doesn’t mean cyber bullying shouldn’t be punished, despite its effect on an individual’s psyche.  Teenagers have come to rely on social networking venues as tools to help them navigate the serpentine twists and turns of adolescence.  When those platforms are used to purposely shatter the sometimes fragile self-esteem of others, the damage is often irreparable and as we’ve seen before, the consequences disastrous.

January 21, 2010

Ordinarily, a natural disaster such as the one that’s left Haiti in ruins would trigger a flood of complaints from consumers claiming they’d been targeted by scammers appealing for online donations.  But the number of complaints so far has been relatively low.  Historically speaking, cyber thieves have wasted little time launching spam email campaigns that appeal to our hearts but leave our identities torn and battered.  It happened shortly after 9-11 and again in the aftermath of the great tsunami that devastated parts of the Indian sub-continent.

Perhaps the trigger has already been pulled but consumers recognize the bogus appeals for what they are and are choosing to ignore them.  After all, consumers in significant numbers have educated themselves about the dangers of cyber space and are no longer as vulnerable to online shenanigans as they once were. 

But, cyber thieves haven’t been sitting idly by while consumers stockpiled anti-virus programs and other security software.  No, they’ve been watching very carefully and adjusting their plans accordingly.  While it’s true they like to strike immediately following a disaster, perhaps this time, they’re waiting for a distraction to help them jettison the appearance of predictability.

Whatever the case may be, the Internet continues to be a “target rich environment” for criminals.  Despite efforts to increase public awareness of online fraud, a recent study found that nearly one-fifth of the population is apparently predisposed to victimization.  It’s vital we get to them before the next tsunami of fraudulent appeals leaves thousands drowning in its wake.

January 13, 2010

The man who orchestrated the biggest data breach in U.S. history is facing decades in prison when he’s sentenced in March.  28-year old Albert Gonzalez pleaded guilty late last year to hacking his way into the computer networks of five giant retailers, including TJ Maxx and 7-eleven, thus giving him access to millions of credit and debit card accounts.

Over the years, Gonzalez, a.k.a.“soupnazi” in cyber circles, had developed a real affinity for computers.  In high school, he led a group of computer nerds and after getting into trouble for cloning credit cards, he went to work as an informant for the Secret Service.  He even lectured to business leaders about network security.  Yes, a promising future was well within his reach.  But, somewhere along the line, the wheels came off.

Now, a psychiatrist claims Gonzalez may suffer from Asperger’s disorder and that he may not have realized what he was doing was wrong.  A confirmed diagnosis could result in a much lighter prison sentence.  Will justice have been served if that happens?  It’s difficult to say but if Gonzalez is found to be suffering from an illness, let’s call it Madoff’s syndrome; a chronic and highly-communicable disease characterized by an insatiable appetite for other people’s money. 

Police in Howard County, IN, had little hope of catching an escaped fugitive, rumored to be out of the country.  …At least, until they found out that he was an avid World of Warcraft (WoW) player.  (World or Warcraft is an extremely popular online multi-player role-playing game run by Blizzard Entertainment.)

Howard County Sheriff’s Department deputy Matt Roberson was able to send a subpoena to the CA-based company and get a wealth of information on the suspect’s accounts- including his IP address, preferred server, and billing address.  “I did a search off the IP address to locate him,” said Roberson. “I got a longitude and latitude. Then I went to Google Earth. It works wonders. It uses longitude and latitude. Boom! I had an address. I was not able to go streetside at the location, but I had him.”

They contacted the U.S. Marshals, who worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Border Services Agency to have him deported, and he is now back in the U.S., where he will be facing drug dealing charges in Howard County, IN.

Check out the full story at:  http://kokomoperspective.com/news/local_news/article_15a0a546-f574-11de-ab22-001cc4c03286.html