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Symantec exposes truth behind illicit online trade in personal information
London, UK (Sept.23, 2009) – Research from Symantec released today shows that the majority of UK adults inaccurately estimate their online personal information to be worth £50 to £1,000 to a cyber criminal. The online black market’s business model, which sees the trade of more than 10 million stolen identities a year with credit card numbers sold for as little as four pence each, is to pile ‘em high, sell ‘em low.
One in three online black market transactions involve credit card information, captured by cyber criminals using generous retail promotions like bulk buying and “try before you buy” to sell consumer information to other criminals. Email addresses and accounts are traded amongst criminals for as little as five pence to as much as £60, with a full identity going for around £45i.
The online black market is booming compared to real-world criminal activity. It is more profitable, harder to prosecute and provides anonymity. Compared to the streets of London where a crime is committed every 37 secondsii, every three seconds an identity is stolen online. That’s nearly 10,512,000 identities each year or the equivalent to the combined populations of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, and Bradford falling victim to cyber crime.
“Many victims are not even sure if they have been the subject of cyber crime, as criminals are very slick at tricking us”, commented Professor Lillian Edwards, Internet Law Specialist, Sheffield University. “The majority of us use the Internet, but there is a very real and growing criminal underworld we are often not aware of. We need to do more to protect ourselves from these online perils that help feed global crime syndicates”, she continued.
Nearly one in six people questioned just did not know whether they had been affected, while one in four questioned had been victims in the past. The research also showed that barely a third of people feel they are sufficiently protected against cyber crime (36%), leaving a good two-thirds who aren’t. Furthermore, seven per cent are unaware that criminals would even pay for their personal data.
“At the heart of this issue are the cyber criminals making a fortune online, and the victims they leave behind. You don’t have to be a victim,” said Orla Cox, security expert, Symantec. “We’re raising this issue because we know that education can do a lot to help people understand just what steps they should take to protect themselves online.”
Symantec is exposing the inner workings of one of the largest illegal industries in the world and arming the public with the information they need to stay protected through a collection of materials, which include:
One in three online black market transactions involve credit card information, captured by cyber criminals using generous retail promotions like bulk buying and “try before you buy” to sell consumer information to other criminals. Email addresses and accounts are traded amongst criminals for as little as five pence to as much as £60, with a full identity going for around £45i.
The online black market is booming compared to real-world criminal activity. It is more profitable, harder to prosecute and provides anonymity. Compared to the streets of London where a crime is committed every 37 secondsii, every three seconds an identity is stolen online. That’s nearly 10,512,000 identities each year or the equivalent to the combined populations of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, and Bradford falling victim to cyber crime.
“Many victims are not even sure if they have been the subject of cyber crime, as criminals are very slick at tricking us”, commented Professor Lillian Edwards, Internet Law Specialist, Sheffield University. “The majority of us use the Internet, but there is a very real and growing criminal underworld we are often not aware of. We need to do more to protect ourselves from these online perils that help feed global crime syndicates”, she continued.
Nearly one in six people questioned just did not know whether they had been affected, while one in four questioned had been victims in the past. The research also showed that barely a third of people feel they are sufficiently protected against cyber crime (36%), leaving a good two-thirds who aren’t. Furthermore, seven per cent are unaware that criminals would even pay for their personal data.
“At the heart of this issue are the cyber criminals making a fortune online, and the victims they leave behind. You don’t have to be a victim,” said Orla Cox, security expert, Symantec. “We’re raising this issue because we know that education can do a lot to help people understand just what steps they should take to protect themselves online.”
Symantec is exposing the inner workings of one of the largest illegal industries in the world and arming the public with the information they need to stay protected through a collection of materials, which include:
- Internet Black Market video series – take a virtual tour and see what is for sale, who is selling it and the latest scam from the cyber thief;
- Every Click Matters website – explore the world of cyber crime, digital dangers and find out what can happen to you, and what you can do about it;
- Norton Online Risk Calculator – find out how at risk you are, and see how much your worth to the underground criminal;
- “Cyber Crime Exposed” Booklet – hot tips on how to safeguard yourself against cyber crime.
The launch of the initiative to educate customers coincides with the availability of the latest products from Norton 2010. Symantec empowers users with a choice – ALLOW or DENY cyber criminals a chance to destroy lives. Upon downloading Norton 2010, every user has the chance to join the fight against cyber crime by doing their part in signing up for Norton Community Watch*, a programme which acts like a neighbourhood watch programme that relies on the eyes and ears of the community to detect and report trouble. The powerful new reputation-based security model in Norton 2010 products leverages the strength of the data from the 30 million user-strong Norton Community Watch. Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010 are available now for purchase in the UK through the Symantec online store (www.symantecstore.co.uk) and will be available in stores soon.
All Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus users with a valid product subscription are eligible to receive the latest product updates via the subscription service model. For more information, visit the Norton Update centre at http://updatecentre.norton.com./
All Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus users with a valid product subscription are eligible to receive the latest product updates via the subscription service model. For more information, visit the Norton Update centre at http://updatecentre.norton.com./
Notes
The research for Symantec questioned 1,289 adults in the UK and was carried out by Opinion Matters between 11th August 2009 and 17th August 2009.
*Norton Community Watch is an opt-in programme. No personally-identifiable data is tracked.
The research for Symantec questioned 1,289 adults in the UK and was carried out by Opinion Matters between 11th August 2009 and 17th August 2009.
*Norton Community Watch is an opt-in programme. No personally-identifiable data is tracked.
About Norton From Symantec
Symantec’s Norton products protect consumers from traditional threats with antivirus, anti-spyware and phishing protection, as well as bots, drive-by downloads and identity theft-- while also being light on system resources. The company also provides services such as online backup and PC tuneup, and is a trusted source for family online safety.
Symantec’s Norton products protect consumers from traditional threats with antivirus, anti-spyware and phishing protection, as well as bots, drive-by downloads and identity theft-- while also being light on system resources. The company also provides services such as online backup and PC tuneup, and is a trusted source for family online safety.
About Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.co.uk.
Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.co.uk.