Get clued up on cyber crime

I think this case highlights the problem of how hackers can land you in hot water by hijacking your IP and using it for illegal purposes:

http://www.itproportal.com/articles/2008/10/30/hundreds-risk-accusation-illegal-file-sharing/

Hopefully, companies will realise they cannot simply point fingers and accuse people of criminal behaviour just because their IP has shown up on the radar. As this case shows, hackers are capable of using you as a pawn in their file sharing activities, running away and leaving you to cop the blame

I am glad the couple in question sought help from "Which?" who forced the lawyers to climb down. Others won't be so lucky

If I was a software pirate, I'd make sure to do all of my illegal downloading via an unsecured hijacker-friendly home wireless network. That way I'd have plausible deniability.

I'd just do it on my own, and if I got busted, I'd claim someone else was piggy-backing off mine. Prove it isn't so fools! :o>

"The Murdochs argue that someone could have hijacked their IP address to distribute the Atari games illegally which is even more probable given that they do not use wireless networks."
Hmm? I'd think it would be much more probable if they were on a wireless network, secured or not.

Yeah I read about that too. Seems like the system is flawed.

Haven't read the story, but I know there's a fair amount of IP hijacking goes on with cable internet providers in the UK. Hijacking someone's connection as a way of getting free or faster internet is a fairly well-known vector.

I haven't kept up with developments, but the last piece on information I read about this did indicate that Virgin were clamping down on it.

Here is another article on crime/fraud. I am not sure how valid the story is but, one day I am pretty sure a group of hackers will pull off such a huge heist. My confidence in absolute data security as a hole is rock bottom (with all the recent cases happening in the UK):

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/31/sinowal_trojan_heist/