Don't worry it's just cybercrime

In countries with corrupt politicians (That's all of them isn't it?), corrupt authorities, corrupt businesses, criminals reign supreme. Throw off years of oppressive government and what do you have? You have Ph.D's in engineering, computer science, economics, and yes...rocket science sitting around wondering what to do with themselves. The weight has been lifted and now there's nothing to do with a fantastic education, so they apply their skills where they're needed. They do anything and everything to survive and ultimately thrive. In a country with no authority figures that can't be bribed and businesses looking to establish themselves there are two primary motivating factors; Money and Power, Power and Money. In countries full of people with nothing to lose, these two factors become the keystones of Maslow's heirarchy.

Survival mode; The purpose of survival mode is to "get yours" at whatever the cost. You do what it takes to get a loaf of bread, to secure your family, to protect yourself and those you care about. The now abandoned Ph.D's have a new purpose and it's money. Money and Power, Power and Money...Money=Power. Those without money and power will always be subject to those that have it, especially in transition economies with weak governments. These enterprising individuals have been swept up in to the world of organized crime and they're loving it. What's not to love? The money, the power, the women, the cars, the lifestyle? It's easy to love it when it's going well. That's right..all the hallmarks of modern organized crime exist and it's going well, very well. If they can keep the cash flowing, they can continue to pay off authorities and the businesses are clamoring all over each other for their piece of the pie and they're willing to do whatever it takes as well.

Organized crime has existed for centuries and it's just recently branched in to the digital realm. Why should anyone be surprised by this? It's a target rich environment, the risks are low, the rewards are high, and internationally there is nothing stopping you. There are whole new rackets, and re-invented rackets that are applied. Intimidation, fake lotteries, scams, protection, extortion, trafficking, controlling and influencing industries (Gas & Oil, construction)...sounds familiar doesn't it? This is nothing new, they've just adapted. Let's say that again...this is nothing new, they've just adapted. Since the dawn of crime, there's been a fight against it. That's right, this fight has been fought before but many pieces had to fall in to place for that fight to truly take place. The following components are missing from this new fight.

• Government

The governments in many of these countries are simply too afraid and corrupt to stand up and establish laws that punish criminals and criminal organizations. They do not participate in the international creation and adoption of laws designed to combat this new type of crime.

• Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is in the same boat as government. Law enforcement would be fighting itself if they decided to take a stand. Former secret police and officers joined the rank and file of organized crime when the wall came down.

• Populace

The populace, as it is in many cases, is the key. If people decided to care, they could force their government to establish laws, which in turn would give law enforcement something to enforce. The populace has been beaten down, abused and lacks trust in their government unfortunately. It hasn't gotten bad enough for them to want to truly do something.


Security researchers, security companies, all are saying "Oh my god cybercrime is this terrible thing and it's huge!" We read headlines detailing hundreds of thousands of identities being stolen, of large sums of money being lifted from bank accounts, of thousands of credentials being compromised. Meanwhile the rest of the world just keeps on ticking, moving forward like nothing is happening.

One has to ask..do they care? There are no bombs, no known murders associated with cybercrime gangs(at least I don't know of any..if you do tell me). Cybercrime has been relegated to the realm of "nuisance" crime, right next to harrassment and stalking. Computers are still seen as magic, and cybercrime is seen as smoke, mirrors and illusion. It's not a personal crime, and the pain is temporary for most, and not all that painful compared to a personal crime. Ask a cop to investigate cyber crime and expect to get asked which murder shouldn't be investigated so your cyber crime can be.
And then there's the lack of understanding. Identity theft is a paper crime. Your identity gets stolen and you get a letter in the mail saying "There is no evidence to suggest...." or "We don't believe...[]..but here's some credit monitoring just in case." That's it...poof it's gone like vapor. Whether its apathy, lack of understanding, lack of pain and suffering, the crime is never fully understood or cared about. In reality, the company that wrote the letter has no idea, and they hope that your identity doesn't get stolen, and it's not because they actually care about you, they care about the price of their stock, their shareholders, their brand.

This lawless world of crime without punishment will soon result in what it has always resulted in...vigilante or shadow organizations and "private security" companies stepping up for hire to take the fight to the enemy. They will exploit the lack of policy and enforcement for gain.

Some time ago I met with a few FBI agents and when they said they wanted to help in any way they could I kept thinking to myself...You want to help? Put tac teams in Odessa, Kiev, Little Odessa and starting arresting or shooting. Find a way to make these ventures risky, costly and unappealing. The new breed of criminal is not nearly as secretive as those from the older mold. So exploit their egos. Poison the money sources, do something other than build a case against people you can't prosecute. Infiltrate, manipulate, lie, cheat and steal to get in to their organizations and take them down and for crying out loud..assign a cybercrime investigator to work with "informants". This isn't a fight against cybercrime, it's a fight against organized crime. treat it like a vapor crime and it will be so in the eyes of politicians, law enforcement and the populace. Treat it like organized and personal crime and people will notice.

When news articles come out about cybercrime related news they are gone in a flash and given cute names like "april fools worm". Did you know that TJX arrests happened? Significant or not, they did. To be frank, they only got low rung members and affiliates of the ring. How many major news outlets covered it? I can't think of a single one. Instead, Cybercrime gets the "on hold treatment". It's like being on hold and hearing that voice say "Don't worry, it's just cybercrime"... "your business is important to us, please stay on the line".