In June 1999, the Trumpet explained how computer dependence is America’s Achilles’ heel. Since then, technology has evolved fast and furious, and the United States, together with the rest of the world, has grown ever more dependent on computers and networking.

Cybercrime has become the arrow directed at that Achilles heel—and not just for America.

This fact was confirmed in a report released this week by Internet security company McAfee. The following snippets come from McAfee’s summary of the report.

The increasing cyber threat to national security

An estimated 120 countries are leveraging the Internet for political, military and economic espionage activities. Cybercrime has expanded from isolated attacks initiated by individuals or small rings to well-funded, well-organized operations using sophisticated technology and social engineering. Are we in the midst of a cyber cold war?

The increasing threat to individuals and industry

As more of us rely on the Web for shopping, banking, socializing, and carrying on everyday business activities, cybercriminals are capitalizing on every opportunity to commit fraud, identity theft, and extortion. Ingenious cyber criminals have evolved “super-strength” threats that are harder and harder to detect and can be modified on the fly. And, emerging technologies like voice-over ip and smartphones are fostering new threats like “vishing” and “phreaking.” How will these developments affect consumer trust and purchasing behavior?

High-tech crime: a thriving economy

Existing in parallel with legitimate e-commerce is a thriving underground black-market economy run by cybercriminals. Greedy, malicious online fraudsters don’t even need computer skills or a great deal of money to launch an attack. They can buy customized Trojans that steal credit card information, and botnets can be bought, sold and leased. And the stolen data itself is bought and sold like any other commodity. But zero-day threats that exploit unpatched vulnerabilities are the biggest cause for concern of all. Should these activities eventually be legalized?

There are multiple reasons to be alarmed by this report, especially if you live in the United States, the nation apparently most prone to cybercriminals. High-tech crime is a threat to us personally, administratively and economically.

Perhaps more significantly, cyberwarfare is a threat to our military, just as Gerald Flurry warned in 1999: “We could lose the next war before we even begin if somebody breaks our military codes.”

Read the full report here.