Richard Clarke Highlights Overlapping Techniques in Cyber Crime, Espionage, and Warfare
Oct 31, 2010
Cybersecurity / Cyber Defense
The difference between cyber crime, cyber espionage, and cyber war is often just a matter of a few keystrokes, as they use the same techniques. Richard Clarke, chairman of Good Harbor Consulting, highlighted this during his keynote at the RSA Europe 2010 conference in London. Cyber Crime Cyber crime is not just a theory; it happens every day. Clarke explained that just two weeks ago, there were arrests of a cyber cartel in the US. However, those arrested were students acting as mules. These mules simply open a bank account and allow money to flow in and out of it, being the lowest level in the cyber crime hierarchy. Clarke elaborated that these cartels are often based in Moldova, Estonia, Belarus, or Russia. After lengthy investigations involving warrants to search computers and servers, crimes are traced back to these countries. However, cooperation from these countries is often nonexistent, making them effective cyber sanctuaries. As long as attacks happen outside their borders an