The Mafia engaging in cybercrime might sound like your grandmother joining Facebook. In fact, "the majority of data breaches are the result of organized crime," says Nick Holland, an analyst at Aite Group in Boston. That doesn't mean it's the conventional Mafia pulling the strings--though it can be. In fact, it's hard to tell just who is in control sometimes. For the most part, cybergroups that become notorious, like the Rockfish or the old Russian Business Network, do so because very few cybercrime groups publicize themselves, says Steve Santorelli of Team Cymru. (Cymru, pronounced cumri, is the Welsh word for Wales.)

In fact, observers sometimes disagree on just who's behind a crime. Take last year's RBS Worldpay scam, which saw hackers not only make off with 1.5 million records from the electronic payments processor, but make fake ATM cards used to withdraw more than $9 million in 49 cities around the world in a one-hour period. Frank Heidt, CEO of Leviathan Security in Seattle, thinks this was a case of an extremely well-organized group with roots in Russian organized crime. Peter Cassidy, director of research at Triarche Consulting Group in Cambridge, Mass., says it looks like a franchise-style operation in which the data and details on how and when to use it was sold to groups operating in different regions.

Also see CSO's indepth exclusive Inside the Global Hacker Service Economy

Either way, it's organized crime. Just a few years ago, most hackers either acted for the glory of spreading a virus they'd written, or handled all aspects of an operation, from phishing to building fake websites to cashing in on the fraud. Since then, cybercriminals have discovered Adam Smith. They specialize, they create markets and above all, they're entrepreneurial. And because of the Internet, "you get radical distribution of labor and a radically fast ability to recruit skills," says Cassidy.

Organized Crime Bookshelf

Organized Crime

By Howard Abadinsky (9th Edition - 2009)

A comprehensive look at organized crime origins, methods and impact.

Retail Crime, Security, and Loss Prevention

by Charles Sennewald and John Christman (2008)

The Mafia DVD Set

A four-disc documentary on the mafia in America, from Prohibition to John Gotti.