Wednesday, April 05, 2006

the secret service hacks cybercriminals - theft of tax refunds

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I recently read a very interesting article in eWeek. It mentioned 7 recent arrests of cyber criminals by the secret service.

The criminals were all operating independently, dealing in stolen credit and financil information as well as stealing tax refunds.

What was unusual about the article is that it went into great detail as to how the Secret Service found the criminals, lured them (and therefore documented their crimes) and finally identified them.

The article ends up becoming a very interesting discussion of anonymity in the internet.

Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Making Our Way

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting. But as long as you're not doing anything wrong, you can be sure the Secret Service is not bothering with you (I think).

makingourway said...

Wisely put. I think what's especially interesting here is the following:

1. anonymity can be broken fairly easily
2. the secret service is better versed in dealing capturing internet fraud criminals
3. the secret service is becoming more familiar with the on-line criminals method of operations

Ultimately, I am hoping their efforts make the internet safer for all of us.

Incidentally, one way to help is the common use of digital signatures.

Has anyone ever used one before?

Have a great Thursday,
makingourway