Hackers, phishers can't get away with it like they used to
SAN FRANCISCO -- In what is shaping up as a breakthrough year, federal authorities have quietly cracked down on some of the biggest Internet crime rings.
Secret Service and FBI operations since January have broken up a huge forum for stolen credit cards and shut down the world's largest spam ring. Investigations have led to indictments of other high-profile spammers and 11 people allegedly behind the computer break-in at TJX and other major retailers.
The FBI and Secret Service do not provide annual cybercrime statistics, but high-profile arrests are significantly up this year, says Shawn Henry, assistant director of the FBI Cyber Division.
Dozens of such actions reflect better-trained agents and prosecutors, stronger laws and more cooperation from crime fighters overseas. Strides in cybercrime fighting are particularly important now because most security experts point out that fraud soars during economic downturns. Cybercrime is an estimated $200 billion market.
For the first time, "It's not a question of whether you will be caught, but when," says Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer of MySpace who, as a Microsoft executive, crafted a $250,000 bounty in late 2003 that led to the arrest of infamous German hacker Sven Jaschan.
Aiding the crime fighting:
•More resources. Federal agencies have a better understanding of technology and how to infiltrate organized crime groups, especially in Eastern Europe. "The threat is not going away. But our ability to impact the threat has become much better," says Henry.
The Secret Service has ramped up training for its agents, prosecutors and federal judges. About 1,000 agents are trained, significantly more than a year ago. "These investigations take time and expertise," says John Large, special agent in charge of the Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division.
•International help. The feds are partnering closely with peers in Romania, Turkey, Germany and elsewhere. "Romania is the gold standard," says Henry, who laid the groundwork with the country's national police. Working with them, the FBI has arrested 90 people, primarily phishers, this year.
