Cyber breaches kept secret

[Jake Kouns <jkouns () opensecurityfoundation org>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>

Forwarded from: Simon Taplin <simon.taplin (at) gmail.com>

http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28347:cyber-breaches-kept-secret&catid=219:reuters

By Reuters
25 Nov 2009

Cybercriminals regularly breach computer security systems, stealing
millions of dollars and credit card numbers in cases that companies keep
secret, said the FBI's top Internet crimes investigator.

For every break-in like the highly publicised attacks against TJX and
Heartland Payment, where hacker rings stole millions of credit card
numbers, there are many more that never make the news.

"Of the thousands of cases that we've investigated, the public knows
about a handful," said Shawn Henry, assistant director for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation's Cyber Division. "There are million-dollar
cases that nobody knows about."

Companies that are victims of cybercrime are reluctant to come forward
out of fear the publicity will hurt their reputations, scare away
customers and hurt profits. Sometimes they don't report the crimes to
the FBI at all. In other cases they wait so long that it is tough to
track down evidence.

"Keeping your head in the sand on filing a report means the bad guys are
out there hitting the next guy, and the next guy after that," Henry
said.

He said the cybercrime problem has gotten bigger over the past three
years because hackers have changed their attack methods as companies
have tightened up security.

"It's absolutely gotten bigger, yes, absolutely," he said.

[...]
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