A new report on online security concludes that cyber-thieves are finding more effective ways to steal personal information about people and are increasingly targeting home computers, MSNBC reported.

According to an Internet security report released today by Symantec Corp., cyber-thieves are getting more aggressive and more organized, and are working together to create “global, cooperative networks” to support their activity. According to Dave Cole, director of Symantec Security Response, thieves buy and sell people’s personal information through “fraud communities.” Active credit card numbers, for example, sell for $1 to $6. A full stolen identity, which includes bank account information, date of birth and Social Security number, sells for about $14 to $18.

Home computers are becoming a growing target for thieves to obtain personal information, according to the report. During the last half of 2006, 93 percent of all targeted attacks were on home computers. The reason for this trend, Cole says, is because it takes too much effort to break into big financial institutions’ systems, and thieves know that many people are careless about storing banking information on their personal computers. Phishing scams and getting people to download software are the two main ways thieves steal personal information.

Symantec is the maker of Norton security products.