Firm says US is hotbed of illegal cyber activity

["'Richard M. Smith'" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/03/19/firm_says_us_is_hotbed_of
_illegal_cyber_activity/

Firm says US is hotbed of illegal cyber activity
By Associated Press  |  March 19, 2007

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The United States generates more malicious computer
activity than any other country, and sophisticated hackers worldwide are
banding together in highly efficient crime rings, according to a new report.
Researchers at Cupertino-based Symantec Corp. also found that fierce
competition in the criminal underworld is driving down prices for stolen
financial information.

Criminals can purchase verified credit card numbers for as little as $1, and
they can buy a complete identity -- a date of birth and US bank account,
credit card and government-issued identification numbers -- for $14,
according to Symantec's twice-yearly Internet Security Threat Report,
released Monday.

Researchers at the security software company found that about a third of all
computer attacks worldwide in the second half of 2006 originated from
machines in the United States. That makes the United States the most fertile
breeding ground for threats such as spam, phishing, and malicious code,
easily surpassing runners-up China, which generates 10 percent of attacks,
and Germany, which generates 7 percent.

...

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