Thursday, February 10, 2011

Cybercrime: an easy-entry career

For those of you who think the government, any government (pick yours), can handle cyber criminals through conventional law enforcement means, you really need to read today's Security News report. Their contributor Linda Rosencrance nails the reality of cyber crime in her first two sentences:
In just four years, cybercrime has evolved from a craft practiced by a few hard-core hackers to something resembling an easy-entry career. Sophisticated pieces of malware can be bought “off the shelf,” ready to use, making it simple for anyone to launch an online life of crime. Stolen data and criminal services that were once hard to find have become cut-rate commodities.
Of course, the article falls down in the end when we don't get a very good answer to the question, "So how can you avoid becoming a victim?" Yeah, you should use anti-virus software, create a separate administrator account only for installing software, and use common sense in your email, online purchasing and dealing with your bank. None of these solutions, however, stand a chance against targeted, non-signature attacks, let alone against anything approaching the capabilities of The Perfect Virus. What is the answer, then?

How about getting a few more politicians a little concerned about their job security? More government employees and more tax dollars aren't the answer. Legalized cyber privateering is really the only answer I can come up with. My own multiple requests for help from the FBI have yielded dittley-squat.

Let's raise the bar a bit on the newest easy-entry career.

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Implementation suggestions for THE MORGAN DOCTRINE are most welcome. What are the "Got'chas!"? What questions would some future Cyber Privateering Czar have to answer about this in a Senate confirmation hearing?