One-Third of Computer Attacks Start in US

Most computer attacks originate in the United States, a study has found. Additionally, hackers are increasingly becoming more organized, creating crime rings that are becoming more effective in carrying out attacks.

The report, released by Symantec on Monday, details increasingly sophisticated networks are causing an increase in data theft and leakage, as well as targeted code which is being used to steal confidential information and then sell it on the black market.

Competition in this underground industry is driving down prices of verified credit card at personal information. A criminal can purchase a credit card with verification number for between $1 and $6 USD, while a full identity could be had for as little as $14.

A common misconception is that the attackers are usually based overseas or outside of the US. Symantec disputes this belief in its report, saying 31 percent of the malicious activity came from within US borders, the highest of any country.

Second was China, at 10 percent, and Germany came in third, comprising 7 percent of attacks.

"As cyber criminals become increasingly malicious, they continue to evolve their attack methods to become more complex and sophisticated in order to prevent detection," Symantec security response and managed services senior vice president Arthur Wong said.

Other findings included a rise in both spam and online fraud schemes. 59 percent of all e-mail traffic during the second half of 2006 was spam, and 166,248 unique phishing messages were detected, both increases over the prior period.