Forwarded From: Simon Taplin <sticker@icon.co.za>
Computer crime hits a third of companies
By Laura Mason
SYDNEY - At least one in three Australian companies have been the targets
of computer crime according to the report of a survey into computer crime
released today.
The survey, conducted by the Victoria Police Computer Crime Squad (VPCCS)
and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, reveals that 33 per cent of Australian
companies admit to experiencing an IT security breach in the past 12
months.
This result does not differ significantly from a similar survey conducted
last year.
The real figure, according to the report, could be much greater due in
part to the fact that many companies fail to report computer crime. "Due
to potential bad publicity and loss of public confidence, organisations
are reluctant to release information relating to their losses from
computer crime" said David Caldwell), officer in charge, VPCCS.
"I suspect that the real number [of computer crimes] is significantly
higher," Dean Kingsley, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, said. The survey
revealed that 83 per cent of breaches were internal, committed by
employees, consultants or contractors. According to the survey 75 per
cent of attacks appeared to be random, opportunistic intrusions.
Costs resulting from repairing systems after intrusions, and theft, had
topped $100,000 for 4 per cent of respondents, and more than $10,000 for
12 per cent of respondents.
Kingsley advised organisations to analyse their security and identify the
most significant risks. Then, he said organisations could design
technological and procedural responses to risks such as implementation of
security hardware and software, implementation of security policies and
standards, and provision of employee awareness training.
-o-
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Received on Thu Mar 11 17:29:01 1999