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The Mafia are well-versed in computer crime, according to the original Donnie Brasco
It may be an organisation that dates back to the mid-19th century, but that doesn’t mean the Mafia hasn’t kept up with the times.
According to former undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, Il Cosa Nostra is showing a keen interest in computer crime, which it regards as a relatively low-risk, ‘white-collar’ crime with potentially high rewards.
“These guys are basically thugs, but they have the ability to adapt,” he says. “They follow the money, and the computer theft of proprietary information is a clean way to make it.”
Pistone knows his subject better than most, having spent six years undercover in the late ’70s as small-time jewellery thief ‘Donnie Brasco’, infiltrating one of
Such was Pistone’s success that when he was pulled out by the FBI in the early ‘80s, he was just about to become a ‘made’ man – a full member of the Mafia hierarchy. The information he provided resulted in over 100 convictions and a spate of infighting that left the mob a shadow of its former self – a story portrayed in the movie starring Johnny Depp.
He says that targeting corporate employees is more common than many people might realise, as “a lot of companies sweep incidents under the rug”.
The mob’s approach, he says, is to “get in via hackers or by cultivating individuals within the company. [An employee] might have a drug problem, or an executive might have a gambling addiction, and they will find out and extort them,” he warns. Any information stolen can then be used or sold on.
“Courts think [computer crime] is victimless, that it only hurts a corporation versus the individual. It’s absurd,” Pistone says. “The sentences are comparatively lenient compared to more violent crime, which makes it an attractive prospect.”
Further reading
Spearing the elite
High-profile individuals, across both the political and corporate arenas, are increasingly having their personal data targeted in ‘spearphishing’ attacks
Perfect crime
The global e-crime underground provides a masterclass in modern business practice
Information Age’s Enterprise Security 08 conference saw delegates tackle the evolving threats to IT security
Find more stories in the Security & Continuity Briefing Room
