Digital Thieves Use Ex-Employees Accounts

prostoalex writes "The New York Times is running an article about a new generation of digital thugs. Using unsecured wireless networks, free e-mail accounts, a wealth of security knowledge, and, most important - employee passwords, thieves are getting access to valuable company databases. Once they're in, they start extorting the companies to pay up for them to leave. Otherwise phony e-mails to customers and sensitive information published publicly will lead to an embarrassment."

Comments

big or small targets?

[eobanb]

it seems like mostly smaller and medium-sized businesses would be vulnerable to this, not larger corporations, or perhaps a small division of a larger corp, because access to big cash usually requires the blackmailee to go through some kind of board of directors who are going to refuse to yield, while a more tightly-knit mom and pop shop is going to have no one to turn to. A big company could have all sorts of resources immediately available for damage control (e.g. warning customers of fraudulent information, quick access to high-level law enforcement, à la FBI). Sigh, and all because of wireless networks. When is Cisco, D-Link, Netgear, going to learn to turn on encryption by default? Microsoft learned the hard way; users are too damn stupid to secure anything on their own, and that includes business. That's what it comes down to, stupidity.

Payment

[inphorm]

I think the main problem for the wannabe hacker is the getting paid bit. How the heck do they remain anonymous and get paid?

It's all very well to do that to a company, but you aren't exactly going to hand out your own bank details to the company in order to get paid.. heh.

- paul

http://pmp.deviantart.com/

Re:Not too likely to be an issue in the long run..

[Feanturi]

This is MUCH more effective... ...site that's already running "beneath the radar"

I don't know, I think there are plenty of companies that operate 'above the radar' that would be horrified at the thought of customers being able to see what's really going on in the back room. Getting the FBI involved can be thought of as riskier than just paying up. If they are detected while going to the authorities, the psycho that's threatening them can release all the secrets and just disappear. Screw the money, you're just plain going DOWN now. Just as kidnappers can threaten (and make good on that threat) that they will harm or kill their captive if you go to the cops. And, just because your business is legitimate on paper doesn't mean it's actually operating that way either.