FBI warns of cost of hacking

Hacking is on the increase and it appears there is little companies and organisations can do about it. More than half of all companies that took part in the fourth annual Computer Crime and Security Survey reported unauthorised access by people from inside their organisations. And 60 per cent of companies said that Internet-based attacks were becoming increasingly problematic. The figures, published by the San Francisco-based Computer Security Institute (CSI) and the FBI, also warn of a dramatic increase in reports to law enforcement organisations. The financial implications of hacking are also causing concern after the Feds revealed that the cost of unauthorised access topped $125 million according to a straw poll of 163 companies in the survey. "It is clear that computer crime and other information security breaches pose a growing threat to US economic competitiveness and the rule of law in cyberspace," the report said. "It is also clear that the tangible cost is tangible and alarming," it concluded. ®