You most likely saw some of the news and debate that followed President Obama’s unveiling of his administration’s plan to deal with cyber security threats to U.S. federal agencies and the private sector.  With any personal views on the plan itself aside, as part of his remarks late last month, President Obama delivered an eloquent commentary on the current state of online security – one that, while aimed at Americans, applies to all Internet users, regardless of nationality.

Here’s an excerpt, courtesy of The New York Times –

 “Our interconnected world presents us, at once, with great promise but also great peril…. This world -- cyberspace -- is a world that we depend on every single day….cyberspace is real. And so are the risks that come with it. It's the great irony of our Information Age -- the very technologies that empower us to create and to build also empower those who would disrupt and destroy. And this paradox -- seen and unseen -- is something that we experience every day. It's about the privacy and the economic security of American families. We rely on the Internet to pay our bills, to bank, to shop, to file our taxes. But we've had to learn a whole new vocabulary just to stay ahead of the cyber criminals who would do us harm -- spyware and malware and spoofing and phishing and botnets. Millions of Americans have been victimized, their privacy violated, their identities stolen, their lives upended, and their wallets emptied. According to one survey, in the past two years alone cyber crime has cost Americans more than $8 billion.”

Without a doubt, keeping pace with the new plots and ploys of today’s scammers isn’t easy. Plus, we often hear about cyber criminals, the perpetrators behind the online crime and scam industry, referred to as a nameless, faceless group wreaking havoc on the Web – that doesn’t help everyday computer users to make sense of the risks they face or to find tangible ways to keep safe. That’s why, in addition to offering the tools you need to protect yourself online, here at Lavasoft, we also work hard to provide regular security updates, warnings, and tips (including through this space, the Malware Labs blog, and our monthly security newsletter.)

Looking for more information on cyber crime and how it affects you? In the June issue of Lavasoft News, we get to the bottom of cyber crime to help you to understand what online thieves do to deceive and why they do it - and, most importantly, how to outsmart them so they don't hit the jackpot on your PC. Take a look and brush up on your knowledge of some of the perils you may face as you surf today!