. The image above is a screen seen by amateur hacker and cyber-thieves who use this easy-to-use kit to devise ways to create a bot-net. Their hacks attack thousands of personal computers in private homes. In creating malicious bot-nets designed to steal personal information, all they have to do to customize their attacks is to click on some check-boxes or radio buttons to "order" the type of computers they want to attack. For example, they can use the program's powerful search engine to browse through their victims' machines and find detailed information , such as which banks they use. The chart above shows that Internet Explorer is the most heavily attacked browser software of all.
. "You don't need to have knowledge of programming or networking protocol stacks. You just need to know who you want to target, click a couple of buttons and there you have it," said Christopher Elisan, senior researcher at botnet detection firm Damballa.
. As web-based tools and kits that can be obtained over the internet have improved, the drudgery associated with hacking has morphed into simple, convenient products that untrained people can use to get into the business of stealing from other people over the internet--both money AND information.
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From an article in the SF Chronicle Business section on Sunday March 14th.
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