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Online crime every 10 seconds
(06-09-07) - Around 3.24million cybercrimes were committed last year - the equivalent of one every 10 seconds - according to new research.
Online harassment came top of the list with 1.94 million cases, and Garlik - the online security firm which issued the figures - said: “Perpetrators take advantage of the dissociative effect of the internet to behave in malicious or threatening ways that they would consider unthinkable in the physical world,” with social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace - which make personal information readily available - facilitating online harassment, identity theft and fraud.
Next in line were the estimated 850,000 sex crimes, which although were mostly cases of cyberstalking and unwanted sexual advances in chat rooms, also included grooming children for sex.
The research noted the difficulty in measuring the extent of these crimes as there is firstly no agreed definition for cybercrimes and secondly because so many go unreported - up to 90 per cent the company estimated.
It added that may well be due to the fact that many people consider online security as a personal responsibility failing to recognise that “breaches are a matter for the criminal law.”
It said that while technology is able to include safeguards, the “generally low level of understanding of both the threats posed to users by the internet as well as the tools that are available to end-users for protection from those threats” could leave a role for ISPs in the protection of individuals personal online security - a call previously made by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
Peter Hurst, Chief Executive of the UK fraud prevention service CIFAS, said: “Fraudulent activity is at an all-time high,” with “fraudsters always looking to exploit weaknesses.”
Chris Eagle, BroadbandChoices.co.uk commercial manager, advised: “There are loads of ways that internet users can ensure their personal and financial safety online; firstly they should never give out personal details like home addresses and phone numbers, even on social networking sites, only use secure sites, and make sure that if they’re using a wireless network that it has all the necessary security.
“An up-to-date antivirus and firewall is also essential, but since broadband security is all about being aware of the risks and taking the necessary precautions, users shouldn’t be deterred by these statistics as the internet offers so many possibilities.”
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