According to an article posted on the website Ars Technica: The Art of Technology, by Emil Protalinski, the profile of your typical hacker is evolving from the lone single white male, living in his parents basement, who steals credit card and other personal information, to a complex business organization which is fashioning itself much like the Mafia does in regards to its infrastructure. The business model for the "new breed" of hackers is not to gain fame, but rather to develop a steady, consistent stream of customers, for profit, who are willing to buy personal information.
Cybercrime companies, as they are referenced in the article, have a complex hierarchical infrastructure where each cybercriminal has his or her own job to do, along with its own rewards and paybacks. "Targeted attacks against financial institutions, enterprises, and governmental agencies, coupled with excellent management of stolen data, make these "businesses" highly successful, and make any organization using the Internet vulnerable." Like with the Mafia, there is a "boss" who operates the business as an entrepreneur, and doesn’t commit the crimes himself. Then there is an "underboss" who manages the operations, and sometimes provides the tools needed for attacks. Next comes the "capos", or lieutenants, who lead their own section of the operation with their own "employees." "Campaign Managers" lead their own attacks to steal data with their "affiliation networks," and finally, there are the "resellers" who sell the stolen data.
Successful attacks can cause long-term damage to the company’s victim: loss of valuable data, loss of IP, loss of productivity, impact on profits or stock price, brand damage, lawsuits, and class actions. Businesses need to constantly be updating themselves with the latest anti-virus and firewall protection softwars, as well as establish corporate security policies and procedures on what to do in the event information is stolen, or the computer system is hacked into.
To read the article by Mr. Protalinski, please click here: Report: cybercrime groups starting to operate like the Mafia