Surfing the Internet Crime Wave

Low risk, high return. Sounds like the perfect investment strategy. According to antivirus vendor McAfee, it's also the driving force behind Internet crime. The just released 2007 McAfee North America Criminology Report takes an in depth look at the how and why of Internet crime.

"Instead of lurking on a dark street corner to snatch a wallet or a purse, a cybercriminal can attack tens of thousands of people simultaneously, with little risk of harm or capture. Criminals can implant programs to disrupt or steal information from one computer, or to provide a base for attacks on others. A single criminal using a botnet can send a million emails within minutes for the cost of a few cents, and count on finding hundreds of inadequately protected computers to raid or capture."

It's an excellent report, well worth the read.

Online brokerage firm Scottrade is certainly taking the problem of Internet crime seriously. On Tuesday, Scottrade announced they would be offering McAfee VirusScan Plus free of charge to their customers. The security suite offers antivirus, antispyware, and firewall protection and typically retails for $39.99. McAfee VirusScan Plus also includes the SiteAdvisor service, which helps to identify suspect or malicious Web sites.