FBI has recognized that computer crime is no longer something teenage geeks and CIS students do for fun and to brag about. FBI Deputy Assitant Director Steve Martinez is recognizing that more and more sophisticated and organized groups are the sources of identity theft, hacking, Internet sabotage, and extortion schemes. [Reuters]

One of the major concerns of this administration is to protect against terrorism. According to Deputy Martinez, terrorists can use the identity theft, hacking, and other methods to finance their operations, spread and coordinate their operations. It is clear that more emphasis should be put on protecting the networks, the financial institutions, and even the individual users against possible attacks. My question is, if it is such a big priority for the administration, why is the cyber czar position in the Department of Homeland Security four levels deep into the organization? More on the recent resignation of the nation’s top cyber-security official here.