Cyber attack led to IGI shutdown

Three months ago, a ‘technical snag’ had hit operations at the state-of-the-art T3 terminal at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). It now turns out it was caused by a “malicious code” sent from a remote location to breach the security at the airport.

A hunt has been launched to nab the perpetrator with the CBI registering a case under the IT Act and IPC. Investigators say that the “malicious code” was in the form of “attack scripts”, which means a programme was written by an expert to exploit the system’s security weakness.

The check-in counters, transfers counters and boarding gates at the IGI are operated using the Common Use Passengers Processing System (CUPPS), maintained by Aeronautical Radio Incorporated (ARINC). The CUPPS operates on a common software-and-hardware platform that integrates all information such as an airline’s reservation system, the expected time of departure and the capacity at waiting lounges. The problem in CUPPS started at 2.30 am on June 29 due to which check-in counters of all airlines at T3 became non-operational.

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Cybercrime: A billion-dollar industry

Posted: Monday, Sep. 26, 2011

By JEN WEIGEL - Chicago Tribune

Are you protecting yourself from getting hacked? Think you're not at risk? According to a recent Norton cybercrime report, 431 million adults in 24 countries experienced some type of cybercrime over the past year, which is up 3 percent from the 2010 study. (The top three cybercrimes, according to the study, are viruses or malware, online credit card fraud, and phishing - or e-mail scams.) In the United States, that comes to 141 victims per minute.

"Our study found over 41 percent of us don't have software security," said Helen Malani, Norton's consumer cybercrime expert. "There's a general apathy about it - a disconnect. Three times as many people have been the victim of online crimes, but yet they are more afraid that they will be robbed on the street."

According to the study, over the past year the United States' total bill for cybercrime topped $139 billion.

"We were astounded by the costs in terms of cash lost," Malani said. "The number came to more than $388 billion globally. That's more than the illegal drugs market in heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Cybercrime is an illegal underground economy and it needs to be taken seriously."

Men are more at risk than women, Malani said, because the adult sites they frequent are more susceptible to cybercrimes. (The Norton report says men are four times more likely than women to view adult content online, and they are twice as likely to visit gambling sites.) Another concern, she said, is the rise in cybercrimes from our mobile devices.

"Mobile crimes are up 10 percent globally," Malani said. "And if you are male, a millennial and mobile, you are the most at risk. Men spend more time online than women. They talk to more strangers online. They visit sites that are more risky, like gaming or adult sites. And the millennials use social networks more often so that is fertile ground for spreading malware."

Here are some of Malani's tips for protecting yourself from cybercrime.

Don't ignore software updates. "Many times the notice for an update will pop up on your computer screen, and people close it out and never go back to it," she said. "It won't take that long, and if you keep putting it off, you could be putting yourself at risk."

Don't share too much onTwitter or Facebook. "Don't say the names of your pets or your kids if those are what you use as your passwords," Malani said. "We do leave the breadcrumbs of information about us online without even thinking about it."

Get creative with your passwords and change them frequently. Instead of a dictionary word or a real name, Malani suggested using an acronym of a phrase; IL2G2S could stand for 'I love to go shopping', for example. And be sure to change the passwords often.

"Also, consider answering the security questions with fake answers," she said. "So instead of giving the real name of your pet or child, pick something that's totally false."

Get an app for your mobile device that protects your data. Malani said only 20 percent of those accessing the Internet from their mobile devices have installed the most up-to-date mobile security.

"There are apps that wipe out your personal data if your phone is lost, or can lock your phone remotely," she said. "Having these can definitely put your mind at ease if your phone is lost or stolen."

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Facebook tracks you even after logging out

ASHER MOSES

26 Sep, 2011 09:37 AM

An Australian technologist has caused a global stir after discovering Facebook tracks the websites its users visit even when they are logged out of the social networking site.

Separately, Facebook's new Timeline feature, launched last week, has been inadvertently accessed by users early, revealing a feature that allows people to see who removed them from their friends' lists.

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Cybercrime today: A web of evil

Hendi Yogi Prabowo, Yogyakarta | Mon, 09/26/2011 8:59 PM

Norton’s recent global cybercrime report, the “Cybercrime Report 2011”, revealed that whereas the most prevalent type of attacks are computer viruses and malware, mobile device users are now more vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals than before. According to the report, 10 percent of adults online have experienced cybercrime through their mobile phone.

According to the “Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 16”, printed in April, there has been an increase in mobile vulnerabilities from 2009 to 2010, which suggests the cybercriminals are now focusing more on mobile devices. The “opportunity makes the thief” case is also supported by the report, which proposes that the increasing use of social networking along with the lack of protection may have created opportunities for more cybercrime attacks to occur.

Total losses from cybercrime worldwide were estimated by Norton’s global cybercrime report to be US$114 billion annually. From this amount, the report added $274 billion-worth of time lost due to cybercrime experience, giving a total figure $388 billion.

According to the report from the Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure (ID-SIRTII), the number of internet users in Indonesia is estimated to be at least 45 million and is expected to reach 60 million particularly due to the rising mobile access trend.

Furthermore, the ID-SIRTII report also mentions that that Indonesia’s internet access and device ownership ratio and the growth of the number of gadgets are considered the highest in the ASEAN region despite the economic recession period. These are also complemented by the rapid decrease in service tariffs in Indonesia, which is considered to be the most rapid in the ASEAN region.

Currently, Indonesian society is transforming into an “online society” as a result of the growing popularity of, among other things, social networking services, blogging, microblogging, chatting and gaming, to name a few examples. According to the ID-SIRTII, those statistical trends show that Internet dependency is on the rise as a result of the more widespread use of the technology. On the other hand, this is also accompanied by the increasing risk of cybercrime.

In 2010, according to the ID-SIRTII’s data, there were many cybercrime incidents including identity theft, account hijacking for fraudulent purposes (e.g. defamation), fraud (e.g. the Nigerian scam), online gambling, pornography, money laundering and terrorist financing. Despite the existence of the Law on Electronic Information and Electronic Transactions in Indonesia, many of these cases remain unsolved due to particular inherent difficulties in investigating cybercrimes such as jurisdictional problems and a lack of skilled human resources.

Although some may think that cybercrime only happens in cyberspace and losses are just financial figures, in reality it is more than meets the eye. It is frightening to imagine what criminals could do with the huge amount of proceeds from their crimes.

Recently, the world commemorated the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The incident has changed the world as we know in many ways, particularly related to national and international security issues.

Reports from various organizations around the world indicate that cybercrime has been a common means of funding terrorist activities. Credit card fraud, for example, is believed to have been used by terrorists to finance their activities, including one of the most devastating attacks ever — the 2002 Bali bombings. In other words, when ignored, cybercrime could potentially threaten our safety as well.

To address this problem effectively, a holistic approach needs to be adopted that encompasses multiple areas such as detection, prevention and prosecution. For example, customer awareness should always be enhanced by providing information and guidance for avoiding being victimized by cybercriminals.

On the other hand, law enforcement personnel’s knowledge and expertise should also be upgraded for coping with cybercrime issues for the sake of effective investigations and prosecution of offenders. To minimize the jurisdictional problems regarding the borderless nature of cybercrime, extensive cooperation among law enforcement agencies should always be sought. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, cutting edge technology and strong legal system are among the essential elements in the process.
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Arizona college student charged with hacking into Sony Pictures’ computer system

By Associated Press, Published: September 22

LOS ANGELES — An Arizona college student was arrested and charged Thursday in a breach of computers at Sony Pictures Entertainment early this summer where more than 37,000 customers had their information stolen.

An indictment unsealed in Los Angeles charged Cody Kretsinger, 23, of Tempe, Ariz., with one count each of conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. If convicted of both counts, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

It wasn’t immediately known if Kretsinger had retained an attorney.

Kretsinger appeared in a Phoenix federal courtroom Thursday afternoon where a judge restricted his travels to Arizona, California and Illinois, where he has family, before releasing him on his own recognizance. Kretsinger was ordered to use his computer only for schoolwork and told to appear in Los Angeles federal court Oct. 11 for a post-indictment arraignment.

Authorities say Sony Pictures computers were compromised in late May and early June by a group known as Lulz Security, whose members anonymously claimed responsibility. The organization had bragged of accessing more than 1 million accounts, but Sony, whose offices are in Culver City, Calif., later said about 37,500 users had personally identifiable information stolen.

Kretsinger is the first person arrested in the U.S. who is a current or former member of LulzSec, which has been linked to other hacking scandals involving various government and business entities across the world, authorities said.

Kretsinger, known by the moniker “recursion,” grabbed confidential information from Sony and passed it along to other members of LulzSec, who posted the stolen material on its website, according to the indictment.

Additional charges may be forthcoming because the indictment notes Kretsinger was aided by other known and unknown co-conspirators. The investigation is ongoing, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. Parent company Sony Corp. has been dogged by personal data loss problems, including separate hacks that compromised the personal information of more than 100 million users earlier this year.

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Cyber hackers crack into 53 businesses around Puget Sound

John HopperstadQ13 FOX News reporter

5:48 p.m. PDT, September 21, 2011

Alec Fishburne works for a computer software company in downtown Seattle. He said when computer hackers got into the company’s system, his sense of security was shattered.

“We never really had any cause to be suspicious internally in our 20 year history,” said Fishburne. “It was a very disconcerting time.”

Fishburne’s company was one of 53 businesses around Puget Sound that were targeted by a group of hackers during the last two years. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen.

Federal prosecutors said three men from the Seattle area, Joshua Witt, Brad Lowe, and John Griffin, would break into and hack into computers, or do something called "war driving." War drivers used high-tech antennas mounted to bikes or cars to find wi-fi signals that they could crack.

“They simply drive around slowly and wait until they can pick up an electronic wave or an electronic signal,” said Jim Pugel, Assistant Chief of Seattle Police. He said then they would begin draining payroll, accessing checking accounts and

stealing identities.

“They got into multiple bank accounts,” said Mark Houtchens, another cyber victim. “Then they moved tens of thousands of dollars.”

Another company said the hackers attempted to put two false employees on the payroll and then pay them through a bank in North Dakota.

U.S Attorney Jenny Durkan said the cyber burglars used the money they stole to buy several goods, ranging from Rolex watches to engines for their cars.

Durkan warns businesses and everyone using computers in their daily life to be vigilant. She recommended checking your accounts on a regular basis and making sure your wi-fi is secure.

“Everything that makes it easy for us to do our business online makes it easy for the criminals to defraud you online, so you have to take precautions.”

Here are some helpful hints to protect your
computer system from a cyber attack:

• Businesses should review their wireless encryption and confirm that they are using the appropriate level of encryption (WPA2 Personal or WPA Enterprise).

• Businesses should keep a record of all laptop computers and ensure that any computers with remote access are encrypted. Any missing laptop computers should have passwords and credentials replaced immediately.

• Businesses should be aware of hacking that can occur from physical access to the server room as well as from external hacking.

• Employees should never click past security certificate warning screens and should notify I.T. immediately.
• Managers should be aware of “watercooler” talk among employees that may indicate breach has occurred. This includes numerous employees complaining of fraud on personal accounts.
• Businesses should ensure that they have a security response plan prepared in the event that some kind of incident does occur.
• If you notice suspicious activity, contact your local law enforcement. Local law enforcement can make a referral to the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force.
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Singapore to set up National Cyber Security Centre

By Xinghui Guo | 22 September 2011

Singapore is setting up a National Cyber Security Centre to protect its cyberspace presence and critical info communication systems, announced Teo Chee Hean, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, on 21 September 2011.

The new centre, to be headed by the Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (SITSA)—an authority responsible for operational IT security development and implementation on a national level—is expected to enhance Singapore’s capabilities in early detection and prevention of cyber attacks.

Teo said a central dilemma of cyber security is to balance the internet’s benefits with the risk of abuse, exploitation and criminality.

“A safe and functioning cyberspace is critical to our society, economy and national security. The frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks will continue to grow, and so must our capabilities and response plan,” stated Teo.

The centre will be completed in phases within two to three years. The first phase, focused on cyber monitoring of critical information infrastructure in security and emergency services, has already been completed.

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Data breaches affect 2m in Mass.

Firms increasingly targets for hackers, Coakley warns

By Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff / September 21, 2011

Personal information from nearly one out of three Massachusetts residents, from names and addresses to medical histories, has been compromised through data theft or loss since the beginning of 2010, according to statistics released yesterday by the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley.

A state law enacted in 2007 requires all companies doing business in Massachusetts to inform consumers and state regulators about security breaches that might result in identity theft. That could include leaks of individual names along with other sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers or bank account, credit card, and debit card numbers. The law was passed in 2007, after hackers stole 45 million credit card numbers from Framingham-based retailer TJX Cos.

Coakley said that her office is just beginning to analyze the reports to find out whether the law is helping to reduce data breaches. But she predicted the problem will get worse as more Americans store vital personal data on various computer networks. “There is going to be more room for employee error, for intentional hacking,’’ Coakley said. “This is going to be an increasing target.’’

The attorney general’s office has received 1,166 data breach notices since January 2010, including 480 between January and August of 2011. About 2.1 million residents were affected by the various incidents, though it’s unknown whether any of them were actually defrauded as a result of the data leaks. Of the reported incidents, 25 percent involved deliberate hacking of computer systems containing sensitive data. Another 23 percent involved accidental sharing of information with unauthorized people, such as sending faxes or e-mails with personal information to the wrong recipient. In 15 percent of cases, retailers reported the theft of customer credit card numbers. Data was also lost through thefts or accidental losses of laptop computers and paper documents, or in cases in which workers deliberately gained unauthorized access to client files.

The biggest single data breach in the report occurred last July, when South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth said it lost 14 years’ worth of records on 800,000 patients, employees, volunteers, and vendors. The hospital blamed an outside data management company for losing a batch of records they had been ordered to destroy.

Other major breaches included an incident in May, when the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development found a virus in its computer system that transmitted data to unidentified hackers. The agency said that files on 210,000 state residents were compromised. A similar virus attack in June affected the records of more than 2,000 patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Among major data breaches this year was a case in April, when the e-mail marketing firm Epsilon Data Management LLC reported that data thieves had stolen the e-mail addresses of as many as 60 million people. In the same month, Japan’s Sony Corp. revealed that three of its online gaming networks had been raided by hackers, who had compromised the credit card numbers of 101 million people worldwide.

The incidents in Massachusetts have involved far fewer victims. In 82 percent of reported breaches in the state, fewer than 100 people were affected; in 30 percent of the cases, just one person’s information was at risk.

Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego, said that consumers would be even better served by being able to sue companies that lose their data. “Unfortunately, there have been very few successful lawsuits,’’ said Givens, because it’s hard to prove that someone whose information was lost or stolen has actually been harmed by the loss.

Givens said that laws like the one in Massachusetts are the next best thing. They force companies to publicly acknowledge the problem and take action to upgrade their security policies.

Coakley said companies must do more to protect the personal data in their files. “They need to be able to have up-to-date systems that both prevent a breach and identify breaches when they occur,’’ she said.

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No leak of key info in cyber attack: Japan

Yuka Ito

September 20, 2011 - 8:44PM

AFP

Cyber attackers who breached security at defence contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries haven't accessed any sensitive information, Japan's defence minister says.

"We are not aware of any important data being leaked," Yasuo Ichikawa told a news conference on Tuesday.

"The ministry has business ties with the company, so will instruct them to undertake a review of their information control systems."

"The ministry will continue to monitor the problem and conduct investigations if necessary," Ichikawa added.

The company, which makes warships, submarines and other defence-related equipment, said on Sunday that 45 Japan-based servers and 38 computer terminals were infected with viruses during a cyber attack in mid-August.

The machine that attackers used to remotely operate the affected computers appeared to be displaying Chinese language script, the Yomiuri daily reported in its Tuesday evening edition, citing unnamed sources.

Beijing shrugged off suggestions that it was behind the crime, with foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei saying: "Such allegations are groundless."

"The Chinese government is willing to co-operate with other countries to fight against cyber crimes including hacking," he said.

Another Japanese defence contractor and heavy industry firm IHI said it had also come under attack, receiving an increasing number of emails carrying virus-laden attachments over the last few months.

"We have been able to prevent any real damage and infection. We are checking the health of our IT system just as precaution," an IHI spokesman said.

IT security firm Trend Micro said it had uncovered a campaign of targeted attacks that have successfully compromised defence industry companies in Japan, Israel, India and the United States.

"We have been able to identify eight victims of this attack and are in the process of notifying them," the company said in a blog dated Monday.

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The Cool Maneuvers and Battle On the Net

by Oxblood Ruffin | Sep 19, 2011

.. the concept of war has become anachronistic, an outmoded approach.
- H.H. Dalai Lama

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik I. It was nothing short of a shock to the US and it had no choice but to retaliate, at least in terms of innovation. President Dwight Eisenhower created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to recapture the technological lead in the arms race. The idea of a national communications network was hatched. It was designed in such a way that if one node was shut down owing to, say, a military strike, the network would stay up and running.

 The ARPANET went live in 1969. Over time, universities in the United States and Europe were connected and the Internet became a sort of geeky communications medium with military network development happening quietly on the side.

 Then there was a tectonic shift. Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web in 1990 and changed the entire playing field. The Web represents the mainstreaming and democratisation of the Internet. As of March 2011, there were over 2 billion Internet users internationally. The Internet is a global communications medium of staggering proportions. It has become an international publishing platform, a marketplace, and a battleground.

 But the fruit never falls far from the tree.

 Something akin to the Cold War has re-emerged. Only, instead of the US and the Soviet Union it is now the US and China jockeying for position; defining and fighting for zones of influence; forming coalitions of nation states, and non-state actors; and, never quite boiling over.

 We are living in the age of the Cool Maneuvers, a period of intense and sustained virtual struggle on the Internet. But unlike the Cold War which was animated by fear of nuclear annihilation, the Cool Maneuvers cannot be attributed to any one event or factor. Broadly speaking the information revolution has restructured society, challenged centrally managed institutions, and empowered individuals. On the Internet anyone can become powerful, and many are attempting to become so.

 The threat scenarios for cyberspace are many. Cybercrime is far and away the greatest challenge to individuals through fraud and identity theft. State and corporate sponsored cyber-espionage can rock governments and corporations; some impact has also been generated in this category by cyber-activists, Anonymous being the principle practitioner.

 And all of this is causing a great deal of hyperventilation. Breathless editorialists are warning of the dangers of cyberwar and digital Pearl Harbours as if these things could actually happen. The likelihood of some sort of Internet Armageddon is so unlikely that such speculations are better suited to Bollywood backlots than any serious consideration. Remember, the Cold War came about because governments realised after Hiroshima that their countries could not afford a nuclear war. By the same logic, there will be no cyber meltdown.

Just for starters, it is in no one’s interest to shut down the Internet. Cyber-criminals would do everything to keep it up and running — it’s their bread and butter. Governments need the Net to conduct cyber-espionage as do corporate players and cyber-activists. Anything other than a well-functioning Internet would be counter-productive. The entire objective is to steal sensitive data and monitor one’s political opposition.

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Teen charged over internet video threats

By Andrea Warmington

An 18-year-old South Auckland man has been charged after threatening the goverment on YouTube.

The threats, which were made in a video posted on the social media site, included claims that explosives had been hidden in New Zealand government buildings.

He also said that government and media websites would be hacked.

Police believe the threats were an apparent protest against the new Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act.

Acting detective inspector Pete Jones of Counties Manukau said police drew on the expertise of the National Cyber Crime Centre (NC3) and the Electronic Crime Labratory to locate the man.

"Such threats are taken very seriously by police and this investigation demonstrates police have the expertise and resources to trace those who make such threats on the internet."

The man is due to appear in Manukau District court tomorrow.

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German Pirate Party boards Berlin state parliament

The German arm of the International Pirate Party saw a momentous victory in this week's Berlin state elections, as the Internet activist group won 15 seats in regional parliament.

The group—which was founded to promote privacy, free speech, data protection and file sharing online—won 8.9 percent of the vote, beating out chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partner the Free Democrats who captured just 2 percent.

Now the German Pirate Party will have government funding and a say in parliamentary matters as 15 of the 130 seats in Berlin's parliament are to be filled by Pirates.

The party may have begun as a way to promote and fight for file sharing and data protection on the Internet, but the party's remit has expanded to include education and citizens' rights, ambitions to revamp patent and copyright rules and even plans for free wireless Internet.

It's the biggest win for the upstart party since the European elections in 2009, when the original Swedish version of the party—founded in 2006—won a seat in the European parliament. A year later and the global coalition Pirate Parties International was officially formed in Brussels.

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Japan defence firm Mitsubishi Heavy in cyber attack

Japan's top weapons maker has confirmed it was the victim of a cyber attack reportedly targeting data on missiles, submarines and nuclear power plants.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) said viruses were found on more than 80 of its servers and computers last month.

The government said it was not aware of any leak of sensitive information.

But the defence ministry has demanded MHI carry out a full investigation. Officials were angered after learning of the breach from local media reports.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Japan's defence minister Yasuo Ichikawa said the cyber attackers had not succeeded in accessing any important information but MHI would be instructed "to undertake a review of their information control systems".

"The ministry will continue to monitor the problem and conduct investigations if necessary," Mr Ichikawa added.

All government contractors are obliged to inform ministers promptly of any breach of sensitive or classified information.

Read more .....

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Web Directories Website takes onto Incognito Malware Kit; Websense

Web Directories, an online site created for assisting website owners and webmasters hunt appropriate directories, is under hackers' control as it is diverting visitors onto websites hosting an exploit toolkit called Incognito, caution investigators at Websense the security company.

The website, which is a highly visited one within Asia and particularly within India, gets massive traffic everyday; hence it's an ideal conduit to launch malicious software assaults, the security company states.

Meanwhile, for the attack, the hackers injected one iFrame inside the top page's source code within the website; consequently, users on that page are diverted onto another one, which by doing the same takes them onto an ultimate web-page that harbors the Incognito.

According to the Websense investigators, the Incognito malware creating toolkit is really a MaaS (Malware as a Service), which's situated within the cloud. Presently, it has two editions circulating, while several other web-pages have been found diverting visitors onto yet more pages harboring either of the two.

Cyber-criminals on the underground world utilize this exploit kit for executing automated assaults that disseminate malware, Websense points out.

Further, the toolkit is available for sale or even on hire to those who wish for contaminating unwitting end-users' PCs with malware the former create. Thus in case the Incognito malware kit costs very high such as thousands of dollars, those wanting to use it can hire the kit for $200 per week.

Normally online crooks, who use a hired Incognito, work together with the distributors of scareware i.e. fake AV software. The scareware disguises as anti-virus programs that in reality facilitate hackers in gaining admission into targeted PCs.

Indeed, security service vendors after analyzing the assaults have found that numerous Internet sites have lately contracted infection from the malicious software, Websense investigators highlight.

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CNI cyber threat 'requires effective strategy'

Managed Hosting News

Friday, 16th September 2011, 16:42:53

A new report from Chatham House has highlighted the requirement for a coherent and effective strategy to protect critical national infrastructure (CNI) against the ongoing threat of cyber attacks from external sources. The Cyber Security and the UK's Critical National Infrastructure document suggests that the increase in illegal activity carried out over the internet could pose as a substantial concern to the government, but can not be met by politicians alone. "There is a need to raise awareness about the constantly evolving character of cyberspace," report author Paul Cornish remarked. For this reason, the report suggested that the government is unable to provide all the answers and guarantee a s

ociety without the threat of cybercrime and called upon CNI businesses to take on greater responsibilities to protect themselves against the continuing threat. In addition, the document suggested that it is vital for company employees to increase their awareness of online security while improving their operations to prevent the increasingly common attacks from occurring. "Given society's reliance upon digital processing and communications, governments are right to take cyber security seriously," Mr Cornish added. The report, which was released earlier this week, also urges businesses of all sizes to assess their dependencies and vulnerabilities concerning the threat of cybercrime, while ensuring that awareness of the issue is coordinated with standard management techniques. However, analysts from Chatham House highlighted that there appears to be little coherence to what activities constitute a cyber vulnerability, as we

ll as limited consensus on the nature or severity of the problem. The organisation suggests that more should be done to make sure essential services such as electricity, communications, water, gas, transport and banking - which are dependent on ICT - safer against the threat of illegal activity. Meanwhile, high numbers of businesses have revealed that they feel unprepared to effectively contend with and prevent the threat of IT crime due to a lack of appropriately trained staff, a study from Kaspersky Lab highlighted. Pos

ted by Phil Williams

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