Rising Costs Gartner also predicts that the economic cost of cybercrime will explode in coming years, increasing by 1,000 to 10,000 percent through the end of 2004, due mainly to a lack of spending and training in online crime techniques among law enforcement agencies. For instance, Gartner said the U.S. federal government's spending on cybercrime enforcement will continue to make up less than 1 percent of all law enforcement spending. The study cites the recent attacks on as many as 40 e-commerce sites in the U.S. launched from the former Soviet Union. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said stolen credit card information may have been sold to organized crime entities in Eastern Europe. All computer users on a network must take precautions against intruders gaining a foothold.
Prevention is the most important defense.
Earlier studies have argued that a patchwork of cybercrime laws, with little international agreement on how to attack online fraud and theft, will give criminals the upper hand. This capability can turn a localized crime into one of global proportions. In fact, Gartner argues that online consumers should not count on law enforcement and should instead take steps to protect themselves. It also urges consumers to closely monitor their financial statements, keeping an eye open for even the smallest unauthorized charge, especially during busy shopping times such as the Christmas season. Gartner said that criminals will employ a method of fraud or theft that involves duplicating small transactions millions of times, a technique that will create a longer time before detection.