Criminals are not stupid, cyber criminals are the same breed, perhaps even smarter than the traditionalists as they are utilising new ways of doing the same old tricks online.

Now the online criminals are recruiting fresh grads to help them push the boundaries further.

Organised crime is “grooming” a new generation of would-be cybercriminals using tactics which echo those used by the KGB to recruit operatives at the height of the cold war, according to a new blockbuster study by net security firm McAfee.

McAfee’s second annual Virtual Criminology report sensationally claims that crime gangs are targeting academic high-fliers in much the way Soviet intelligence agencies recruited spies such as notorious traitor Kim Philby in the 1940s. The study, which we reckon might prove a plausible basis for the next Tom Clancy blockbuster, suggests that net savvy teens as young as 14 are being “attracted into cybercrime by the celebrity status of hi-tech criminals and the promise of making money without the risks associated with traditional crime”.

Quite a scary though eh, if you have a young kid you better check out if he’s plotting a career in online extortion and custom malware solutions..

A process by which organised crime is now “employing KGB-style tactics to ensnare the next generation of hackers and malware authors. Cybercriminals are actively approaching students and graduates of IT technology courses to recruit a fresh wealth of cyber skill to their ranks,” McAfee breathlessly suggests.

Recruiting from Eastern Europe, India, China and Russia seems like the best bet, we better watch out for this next generation of vxers and organised cyber criminals.

Source: The Register