Cybercrime: The price of online robbery

The cost of goods and services offered by cybercriminals BANK details are the most popular single item for sale by online fraudsters, according to a new report by Symantec, an internet-security firm. They are also the priciest, perhaps because the average account for which details are offered has a balance of nearly $40,000. Sales of details of credit cards make up some 30% of all goods and services on offer on “underground” servers, and nearly 60% of their value. Cards without security codes (or CVV2 numbers) are harder to exploit, and are usually cheaper. A criminal may wish to use “cash-out” services to convert stolen online goods into real currency for a slice of their value. Scams involving the design and hosting of fake webpages for phishing attempts, as well as the “mailer” applications used to send phishing e-mails, are also popular. ...