http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,474802,00.html
Alan Travis, home affairs editor
Thursday April 19, 2001
The Guardian
At least four large internet banks in Britain have been attacked by
computer hackers, it emerged yesterday at the launch of a national
police unit to tackle cybercrime.
It is believed that in each case at least hundreds of thousands of
pounds was stolen, but the banks concerned have been reluctant to
report the thefts for fear it will damage the credibility of banking
online.
Police officers involved in operations aimed at breaking up organised
crime say that they have tracked several hackers who have made
successful attacks on the internet banks - despite the banks' denials.
Bill Hughes, the director general of the national crime squad,
explained the reticence to report attacks: "When businesses say they
are not being 'hacked' they are not telling the truth.
"Everyone has been attacked. It is how businesses deal with it that is
the question. As soon as they realise it is not bad for business, and
we can do something about it, they will acknowledge it."
Tracking down the cyber robbers who forge credit card details and
other electronic identities to break into internet banks is just one
of the tasks of the specialist police unit. To begin with the unit has
40 officers housed in a "semi-covert location" in central London. The
unit will eventually have a further 40 officers in regional forces
when it is fully operational in two to three years.
At its launch yesterday, the home secretary, Jack Straw, said 25m over
three years was to be spent on countering cybercrime.
"Technology is already changing the way criminals operate," said Mr
Straw.
"They look for the highest return with the least risk, and in an age
where society and business are reaping the rewards and benefits of new
technology, there is a massive opportunity for organised crime to
exploit those new technologies.
"Looking to the future the equation is simple - money is going
electronic; and where the money goes, so will organised crime."
The unit's launch was at the Science Museum, in London, to coincide
with an exhibition there on cybercrime. The exhibition features a
Welsh teenager accused of downloading 20,000 credit card numbers from
the net, and the hijack of the Nike.com website by anti-corporate
protesters.
The unit's head, Detective Chief Superintendent Len Hynds, said
yesterday that a growing illicit subculture existed, intent on fraud,
extortion, money laundering, paedophilia and race hate, as well as
newer crimes such as hacking.
The unit will have investigative officers, forensic experts, computer
consultants and support staff to investigate serious and organised
crime. Mr Hynds claimed that it would prove a milestone in policing.
Officers would neither spend their time in patrolling the internet nor
in reading emails, he said: "There is no intention for us to randomly
intercept and read people's emails. We lack the inclination, the
capability or the legal power to do so."
Email interception requires a warrant that has been personally signed
by the home secretary.
However, Mr Straw confirmed that internet service providers would be
expected to keep what were termed "communication details" of their
customers' accounts so that the police could track their email
recipients and the sites they have visited.
John Wadham, director of Liberty, the civil rights organisation, said:
"We welcome the creation of the unit, but we think at the same time
they should introduce strong safeguards to ensure people's privacy on
the internet is protected - unless there is a strong suspicion that
they are involved in crime."
Hacking
The police identify three types of hackers. Recreational hackers do
little more than gain unauthorised access. The criminal minded range
from those who make unauthorised money transfers, to vandals who
sabotage websites. The third are political "hactivists" such as those
who placed anti-nuclear messages on hundreds of websites.
Viruses and other malicious programmes
200 new viruses are identified each month.
Software piracy
The illegal copying and resale of software programmes including music
and video.
Fraud
Includes credit card fraud and scams given a new lease of life on the
net, such as pyramid schemes.
Harassment, threats and hate sites
This includes "cyber-stalking", blackmail by email, and issuing hit
lists such as that in the US naming 200 abortion doctors and
pro-choice judges and politicians.
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Received on Fri Apr 20 03:17 CDT 2001