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Computer Experts: The Bad Guys Are Winning
Security researchers outflanked by well-funded cybercriminals
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Dec 6, 08 11:57 AM CST
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(Newser)
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There's a war on for your computer and the bad guys are winning, the New York Times reports. Malware that stealthily hijacks a computer to send more malware is spreading like wildfire, and efforts to battle the constantly evolving threat often amount to little more than a game of online whack-a-mole. Cybercriminals are now as advanced as the top software companies—and faster and more adaptable, security experts say.
The fight is being lost, experts say, largely because resources have been poured into patching up the existing, deeply flawed system instead of creating a safer one. Cybercriminals rake in $100 billion through credit card thefts, bank frauds, and other scams, and Internet execs fear the scale of the thievery is rapidly eroding trust in the Internet as a vehicle for commerce.