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Brian Krebs revisits his must-see chart on the ways that hacked PCs can be valuable to criminals, which is meant to help explain the importance of security to people who think that their old PCs aren't worth enough for crooks to bother with. As Krebs points out, even low-powered antiques can be used to get up to all sorts of mischief that can compromise your privacy, finance and data, as well as the integrity of the Internet itself.
One of the ideas I tried to get across with this image is that nearly every aspect of a hacked computer and a user’s online life can be and has been commoditized. If it has value and can be resold, you can be sure there is a service or product offered in the cybercriminal underground to monetize it. I haven’t yet found an exception to this rule.
The Scrap Value of a Hacked PC, Revisited
I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.
MORE: Business • crime • infographics • security