CyberheistNews Vol 1, #0
Editor's Corner
[caption id="attachment_1367" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Stu"]
[/caption]Phishing, the New Sport for Teenage Cybercriminals
Romania has long been considered a hotbed for cybercriminal activity, but in recent years law enforcement authorities have made significant efforts to crack down on online fraud gangs that steal millions every year from victims worldwide through elaborate phishing techniques.
Media reports and official statistics both show a visible increase in the number of law enforcement actions in this area.
The fact that law enforcement authorities are making efforts to bring those responsible to justice can only be a good thing but, according to Bogdan Manolea, cyberlaw expert and executive director of the Romanian Association for Technology and Internet (ApTI), this is only treating the symptom and not the cause.
Despite DIICOT's increasing efforts to stamp out cybercrime, more and more teenagers are getting involved in such activities, and backsliding after serving prison time for associated offenses. This happens because of a combination of factors, from the poor state of the economy and the lack of work opportunities to sentences that some consider too lenient. However, little is being done to identify and tackle the causes.
Nearly all forms of cybercrime are present in Romania, including fake online auctions, VoIP fraud, credit card cloning and the manufacturing of skimming devices. The most popular type of online fraud among Romania's cybercriminals, though, is phishing.
The simplicity of phishing might explain why it is so attractive to Romanian fraudsters. Despite being a significant threat for years now, phishing attacks continue to have a high success rate because protection largely relies on user education.
Phishing is so widespread in Romania that it has almost become a national brand, coloring how foreigners perceive the country, especially in cyberspace.
For the full story click here: Anti-cybercrime Efforts Lack a Social Component
Cybercrime is nowhere near under control and will continue to evolve and worse—the bad guys all around the world are not walking away while they can still “make an easy buck” with simple and lucrative techniques like phishing. The time to proof up your employees against cybercrime is now; the means is with Internet security awareness training. Take a free Internet phishing security test!
Stu Sjouwerman
KnowBe4
