An Overview of Transnational Organized Cyber Crime

This essay discusses the nature of transnational organized crime (TOC) and its activities affecting today's electronic landscape. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with IT-related information security in general, and therefore the technicalities around networks and information systems will be avoided as many papers and books cover these subjects extensively. Most security practitioners are familiar with the technical aspects of IT-related attacks (referred to here as cyber attacks or crimes) but not so with the organization and structure of the groups behind these attacks. We will further explore the origins and evolution of TOC, and how it influences and is influenced by today's omnipresent 'speed of thought' digital society.