Finjan: Layoffs Could Drive IT People To Become Cyber-Criminals

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 12/11/08

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Security vendor Finjan predicts that the current economic downturn could herald a sharp rise in cybercrime during 2009--driven by the rise in the number of IT people being laid off. According to a report from the company's 's Malicious Code Research Center (MCRC), more unemployed IT personnel will be tempted to seek "new and easy income by purchasing and using crimeware toolkits that are sold by professional hackers."

The goal, according to the report, will be to get stolen credit card numbers, online banking account information, and corporate data that can be used to generate income. "We foresee that this quick and easy way to make money--combined with the false feeling of being safe from detection--will entice more and more people to turn to cybercrime; similar to people turning to drug dealing for a quick buck." Potential targets include corporations and public agencies.

Also, if the Obama administration succeeds in finding a way to give more people broadband Internet access, Finjan asserted, cybercriminals will exploit the opportunity "to infect more PCs and corporate networks with more malware as ever [sic] before."

A major portion of malware will be delivered via Trojans, particularly through Web 2.0 technologies and rich content.

A copy of the full report from Finjan is available here.