[BreachExchange] Criminal cyber capability 'outpaces UK's collective response', experts warn

[Audrey McNeil]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/criminal-cyber-capability-outpaces-uks-collective-response-experts-warn-34863698.html

Criminals' technical capabilities develop so fast they "outpace" Britain's
response to the threat from hackers and cyber attackers, a new NCA report
has found.

A key threat to the UK comes from a few hundred criminals in international
gangs, some of which are such well-developed networks that they run call
centres and employ translators.

A report detailing the NCA's annual assessment of cybercrime, put together
with an industry group, said: "The accelerating pace of technology and
criminal cyber capability development currently outpaces the UK's
collective response to cybercrime.

"This 'cyber arms race' is likely to be an enduring challenge, and an
effective response requires collaborative action from government, law
enforcement, industry regulators and, critically, business leaders."

The Government is set to spend £1.9 billion over the next five years on
defending the country against cyber attacks, and the NCA said law
enforcement had also boosted its efforts, but businesses needed to do more.

Cyber attacks on firms appear to be massively under-reported. Official
figures suggest there were 2.46 million "cyber incidents" in 2015, of which
around 716,000 were reported to Action Fraud.

In May, director of the National Crime Agency's computer crime squad Jamie
Saunders called under-reporting "a serious problem", while the national
lead for economic crime Commander Chris Greany said police needed more
information to build "a clearer picture of the threat".

The report said: "Directors also have an important role in addressing the
under-reporting of cyber crime which continues to obscure the full
understanding of, and hence responses to, cyber crime in the UK.

"In particular, we urge businesses to report when they are victims of cyber
crime and to share more intelligence, both with law enforcement and with
each other."

Cyber attacks cost the UK billions of pounds per year and the bill is
growing, the NCA believes. The most serious threat comes from international
gangs.

"Cyber criminals targeting the UK include international serious organised
crime groups as well as smaller-scale, mostly domestic, criminals and
hacktivists (hacker activists)," it said.

"The NCA assesses that the most advanced and serious cyber crime threat to
the UK is the direct or indirect result of activity by a few hundred
international cyber criminals, typically operating in organised groups, who
target UK businesses to commit highly profitable malware-facilitated fraud.

"These cyber attacks include attacks directly targeting business systems
and attacks against individuals."

Plans to improve the UK's cyber defences include a new National Cyber
Security Centre and to undertake work with internet service companies to
block attacks.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.riskbasedsecurity.com/pipermail/breachexchange/attachments/20160708/1c1fafdd/attachment.html>