Internet ‘becoming more dangerous’

CRIMINALS are using open access internet connections and unsecured private wireless accounts to mask their criminal activity.

Europol, the European Union’s police agency, said the internet was becoming a “more dangerous place for citizens to operate” as organised criminals exploit the growth of internet applications, from ebanking to social networking.

The agency is running a campaign this week to highlight the threat posed by cybercrime across the union and the difficulties the typically borderless crime imposes on individual law enforcement agencies.

Europol estimates that €750 billion is lost to the global corporate world from cybercrime, including some €100bn in Europe from VAT fraud.

The agency said the longer people spend online, the easier it was for fraudsters to access their data.

“With the increasing availability of wireless internet access points and hotspots, users are unwittingly exposing their personal data in these environments,” said Europol in a statement.

Such facilities are used internet cafes, as well as many general cafes, libraries, airports and other public areas.

“Criminals use open access internet connections or private wireless accounts that aren’t password-protected to mask online criminal activities that the account holder could later be held liable for,” said the Europol statement.

In a subsequent interview on Morning Ireland, Europol director Rob Wainwright, said they were increasingly seeing the internet being used by organised crime and terrorist networks.

“In particular, they are using malicious software to steal personal information/financial information, and using this to hack into not just private bank accounts, but also to make very large scale fraudulent tax claims,” he said.

He said organised crime groups were recruiting “specialist hackers”, often from universities. He said 60% of hackers were under the age of 25 and half began their work between the age of 10 and 15.

Mr Wainwright said Europol had its own forensic expertise in this area and was working with academic institutions across Europe, including UCD, to build a “greater research capacity”.

* www.europol.europa.eu