“Identity Theft Soars in 2009”
“Cyber Crime at Record Highs”
“Online Scammers Work Overtime in the Downturn”

This is the tone of the headlines that we see over and over in the latest security news, reminding us of the extent to which online scammers continue to take a toll on our privacy and security. Our malware analysts at the Malware Labs here at Lavasoft are aware of the rising level of scams on a daily basis, as they research the behavior of the latest techniques and threats that crooks are using to get past your defenses. In fact, in the first half of 2009, Lavasoft malware analysts saw a 65 percent increase in the amount of malware added to Ad-Aware’s Detection Database, compared to the second half of 2008.

At the same time, there’s a larger picture involved: law enforcement around the world are working to track the scams and schemes that are plaguing the Internet, to find those responsible and bring them to justice. And a lot has been happening on that front.

In this month's Lavasoft News, we’re bringing you the latest in this effort to fight cyber crime - get an update on the steps being taken to bring criminals to justice, read an exclusive interview with the Anti-Phishing Working Group to learn about it's new e-crime tool, get tips on reporting bad behavior that you spot online, and find out how to fight crime with Lavasoft by joining Lavasoft ThreatWork. It’s all in the September issue – take a look!