Alastair MacGibbon fears our money, privacy and even our identities are all soft targets for a new breed of criminal. MacGibbon, who this week takes up the post of cyber security boss of the Australian arm of online auction house eBay, fears organised syndicates will win the online crime war unless internet users take personal responsibility for the security of their information.

While corporations use vast financial resources to side-step online threats, individuals are left out in the cold, he says.

"Individuals cannot leave it to corporations or governments to protect their interests, they have to protect themselves," MacGibbon says.

MacGibbon rose through the Australian Federal Police ranks over 15 years to become the inaugural director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre in July last year. The centre was established by the AFP to bring together law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions to fight online crime and support investigations of traditional crime types that may have included a technical element. But this month he walked out after only a year. He's traded his badge and gun for a senior role in one of the world's most successful dotcoms.

By Patrick Gray at The Age.

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