Has Your Computer Been Hijacked?

• Posted: Saturday, June 09, 2007
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Miscellaneous

The danger online is real, if somewhat exaggerated.

It is true that 2006 was the year that hacking ceased to be a hobby and became a full-time job, and this year things may get even worse.

"Cyber criminals are no longer pimply-faced teenagers showing off for their nerdy friends," says Ben Macklin, eMarketer Senior Analyst and the author of the new report, Online Security: Counting the Cost of Fear. "Today, international hackers have formed into sophisticated gangs with connections to organized crime, and their primary motive is money."

While the US remains the origin of the majority of worldwide cyber attacks, China and countries from the former Soviet Union are increasingly showing up on the radar screens of the security services that monitor online crime.

"This increased activity is undermining consumer confidence in the online sector," says Mr. Macklin. "At eMarketer, we call it 'The Cost of Online Fear.'"

"Not even counting the actual losses to fraud and theft suffered by Internet users and businesses, which are not insubstantial, the loss of potential online revenue is enormous," says Mr. Macklin. "American Internet users are already adjusting their online behavior to avoid identity theft by visiting fewer sites, ceasing to bank online and purchasing less online."

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