Web of Crime Series

Artwork: Diego Aguirre

Watch out! Attacks on personal and business PCs aren't just being committed by amateurs anymore. You--or your business--may be the next target of a new breed of professional Internet criminals, who now apply underworld tactics to the Web. These cybercrooks use malicious software such as viruses and worms to generate illegal profits. One security expert we interviewed called this type of crime the cocaine trade of the new century.

In this five-part series, we show you the global scope of the problem and how innocent PCs are turned into zombie armies used to threaten and extort money from businesses.

In the box below, you'll find easy links to all five articles.

Web of Crime: A PC World Series

• Day 1: Enter the Professionals
• Day 2: Zombie PC Armies Designed to Suck Your Wallet Dry
• Day 3: Web Gangs Go Global
• Day 4: Internet Sieges Cost Businesses a Bundle
• Day 5: Who's Catching the Cybercrooks?