Symantec security experts are urgently developing a specialized system to scan all "underground" websites and chat rooms for sensitive information being sold.

Called Dark Vision, the system began to develop from mid-2006, with the goal of "monitoring and monitoring the black market economy," said Oliver Friedrichs, Symantec's new technology director.

However, Symantec has not decided whether to bring Dark Vision from the laboratory to the real world, and if so, what ever.

" At this point, it is still a model technology, but opportunities are not without. For example, thanks to Dark Vision, we can warn users that" Hey, your personal information. being sold there ". "

Have you ever wondered: What do identity thieves do with the information they steal? The answer is to sell to those in need, through different "intermediate" websites. After that, they arranged to see each other through chat rooms or IRC channels to buy and sell.

Make money

Symantec seeks to destroy images 1 Source: CNN According to Friedrichs, the number of credit cards can be sold for as low as "startling", only $ 6.

There are also numerous other data for sale, from social security card numbers, addresses to user phone numbers. "You can buy all of a person's identity with an average price of 14-18 USD".

With the Dark Vision tool in hand, Symantec experts can accurately locate the server hosting the "black market" websites and the content being discussed and discounted .

Within just three months of testing, Dark Vision collected about 800 stolen credit cards, Friedrichs said. " I think this tool is also very useful for card issuers, or businesses that want to find a clue about a database breach ."

Symantec is not the first security firm to think about "black market" information digging. Earlier, a small Malibu technology company called CardCops also had a similar tool, which scans the Internet for stolen data and informs businesses, authorities and users. .

Last year, according to estimates by the US Department of Justice, identity theft caused $ 6.4 million in damage to millions of households in the country.

Trong Cam