IT Security

Hacker arrests welcomed

by Mark Rowe

The National Crime Agency (NCA) announced a ‘strike week’ against suspected hackers resulting in 57 arrests . Those arrested are suspected of being involved in data theft, fraud and virus writing. It’s been welcomed by the IT security and counter-fraud sectors.

Cifas Chief Executive Simon Dukes said: “Fraudsters are sophisticated and will use every chance that they get to pilfer funds from individuals and organisations. This strike by the NCA sends a positive message that the UK is not a safe place for online criminals to operate. But these arrests are just the first step. The public must have faith that where these crimes have occurred they will be prosecuted, and that fraudsters and online criminals will be punished appropriately. Criminals need to know that whether they defraud a multi-national company of millions, or swindle a widower’s pension, that they will face a sentence which reflects the impact of their crimes.”

Charlie McMurdie, senior cyber crime adviser at the audit firm PwC, said: “We are witnessing a huge increase in dedicated high-level cyber attacks that cause serious harm to business and other organisations. The cyber crime arrests today show how seriously the Government and police are taking attempts to stop hacking groups or individuals targeting the UK. To stay a step ahead of the cyber criminals, it is clear that we need a multi-agency response to cyber crime.”

David Emm, principal security researcher at IT security company Kaspersky Lab, said: “Conviction of cybercriminals is vital in the ongoing fight against cybercrime. However, it’s also essential that we all understand the potential dangers that exist when we go online and take steps to reduce the risk we face. Police forces around the UK are helping to raise awareness of cybercrime, in collaboration with government, security vendors, businesses and local education authorities.”

And Roy Tobin, threat researcher at Webroot, said: “Missions like this highlight the fact that cybercrime is rapidly climbing up the agenda – and the more that happen the better. It’s easy for cybercriminals to believe that they can hide behind the anonymity that the Internet provides, but this is a fantastic example of mass un-maskings. Cybercriminals may start to re-consider their stance of being untouchable if there is a chance of the Police raiding premises. Everybody who works in the security industry will welcome this, but it’s vital that people and organisations continue to be vigilant when online and ensure adequate protection for all their devices – to prevent an attack in the first place. The fact the NCA also visited over 70 organisations to point out vulnerabilities is an excellent step forward.”

The NCA said that it has developed customised intelligence reports for internet hosting companies and service providers, acting on data provided by CERT-UK (the UK’s Computer Emergency Response Team) and the Shadowserver Foundation.

The analysis has so far identified that there are 5,531 compromises on servers within the UK each of which can be used to send out spam email, launch attacks against websites or servers, or install phishing websites to gain access to sensitive information. With phishing representing one of the most common cyber crime threats to the public and businesses, the NCA estimates that organisations acting on this advice could, between them, clean up to half of the phishing attacks that typically originate from the UK each month.

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