http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2160793/curbing-cyber-crime-requires By Tom Sanders at McAfee Avert Labs Day in Mountain View, CA, vnunet.com 21 Jul 2006 Cyber crime fighting effort requires an Enron-like scandal to force the hand of legislators, the FBI argued today. Only after such an event could the necessary reforms be made to allow authorities to effectively battle online criminals, special agent Shna Boswell-Crowe with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. "My personal theory is that computer crime is kind of like white collar crime before Enron," Boswell-Crowe said during a presentation at the McAfee Avert Labs Day in Mountain View, California "It hasn't necessarily gone boom. White collar crime used to be the bank [employee] who was sifting some money off, or some corporate guy who was going to get rich anyway." "I don't think [cyber crime] has had its day. I there hasn't been something that's large enough that there's a large-scale awareness. Awareness is increasing, but have we had that large event that makes people think: 'This is really bad'?" Boswell-Crowe complained that, while online crimes are committed within seconds, it takes large amounts of evidence to obtain a search warrant. There also is no clear legislation that defines when adware is installed illegally. Unless law enforcement officers are able prove an intent to cause harm, botnot operators could easily get away with installing adware on computers in his control. Consumers in the meantime are carrying the burden if they become the victim of keyloggers, because technically they have voluntarily given up their login and password information. Boswell-Crowe however added that the agency is making progress in tracking down and prosecuting online criminals. Early cases have mainly involved teenagers who were looking to make a quick buck, but forgot to properly clean up their tracks. Tracking down professional organised cyber criminals takes more time, but the FBI is building cases against such organised groups. She declined further comment because the bureau does not discuss cases before they are brought before a judge. _________________________________ Attend the Black Hat Briefings and Training, Las Vegas July 29 - August 3 2,500+ international security experts from 40 nations, 10 tracks, no vendor pitches. www.blackhat.com
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