Here's part of a news story (from last week) on the Russian mob:

Russian Mafia Net Threat
By Laura Lorek, Interactive Week
July 16, 2001 9:16 AM ET

Organized crime rings in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union are increasingly hacking into U.S. e-commerce and banking Web sites, posing an enormous economic threat.

Hackers have launched computer viruses and disruptive denial-of-service attacks, but the biggest danger comes from hackers with ties to organized crime breaking into computers, FBI officials said.

Spearheading the organized hacking rings is the Russian Mafia, security experts say. The Russian Mafia has infiltrated many businesses in the former Soviet Union, and is becoming increasingly sophisticated in computer crimes.

The Russian Mafia is operating in 50 countries, including the U.S., with representatives in every major city, according to Jeffrey Robinson, an expert on the Russian Mafia and author of The Merger. He said it has created a "wealthy cabal destined to become the most powerful special interest group in the world."

[ July 26, 2001: Message edited by: SC ]