Do-it-yourself kits that allow novices to initiate cybercrime attacks are being bought and sold in Australia, says Symantec Pacific MD Craig Scroggie.

Do-it-yourself kits that allow novices to initiate cybercrime attacks are being bought and sold in Australia, says Symantec Pacific MD Craig Scroggie.

Scroggie was commenting on Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report, released yesterday, which details key trends in cybercrime round the globe during 2009.

One key finding is the growing development of the “attack toolkits” which make it easy for unskilled attackers to compromise computers and steal information.

An example is the Zeus kit, which can be purchased for as little as US$700. It is said to automate the process of creating customised malware capable of stealing personal information.

“We have no exact figures for Australia, but we do know the kits have been bought and sold in Australia,” Scroggie told CDN.

Malicious code is more rampant than ever, according to the report. In 2009, Symantec identified more than 240 million distinct new malicious programs, a 100 per cent increase over 2008.

But there’s good news, of a kind. There’s been a decrease in credit card information being offered for sale, says Craig Scroggie. The main reason, he says is better card technology – for instance chips embedded in the cards – along with increased awareness by merchants and a more active role by banks.