The financial sector is the biggest target of cybercrime in the U.K., according to reports at an e-Crime Congress in London. Len Hynds, head of Britain's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), reported that three firms alone suffered 60 million pounds damage. A police survey of large companies found over 80% had experienced some version of cybercrime last year. Yet 25% perform no security audits (Read more ... )
"Phising" was a new scam, with over 50 UK businesses reporting becoming victims last year. Phishers send bogus emails purporting to be from financial sites, tricking consumers into revealing account numbers, passwords and other private data.
Police point to organized crime gangs in Eastern Europe and Asia. A Microsoft security spokesperson, David Aucsmith, predicted that future attacks will be against banking, payroll and business transaction systems. The survey found that over 25% of the large firms surveyed did not conduct regular security audits.
Source: Cybercrime Costing UK Business Billions (Reuters, 2/24/04)
See also:
And: "California Guide on Disclosure of Personal Info Security Breach" (Unintended Consequences, 10/24/03)
And: 'People are the "weakest link" in data security' (Unintended Consequences, 2/24/04)
Microsoft's David Aucsmith will be speaking at the March 26-28, 2004 "CyberCops" conference sponsored by the Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
Questions: