Russian Starforce Calls For United Front In Western War On Cyber Crime

Online, August 18, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The British government and UK businesses should join forces with leaders and companies throughout the Western world to present a united front in the war against international cyber security threats.

The call for national and international unity comes from the Russian-based company StarForce Technologies (www.star-force.com), a global market leader in software protection against hacking and information security.

"Countries face an increasingly difficult battle against hackers and malware (malicious software) as part of the worldwide threats to international cyber security," says information security expert Dmitry Guseff.

"Unless governments, industries and top-level business leaders act now and join together to take measures to prevent cyber criminal activities, the Western world faces catastrophic consequences."

The StarForce comments are in response to a warning from MI5 that Western nations are being targeted by an "astonishing" level of cyber espionage activity on an "industrial scale".

Jonathan Evans, director general of the UK counter-intelligence and security agency, told business leaders in Britain that the threats are as serious as those presented by terrorist activities.

Speaking at the Lord Mayor's Annual Defence and Security Lecture, Evans warned: "The front line in cyber security is as much in business as it is in government. Cyber security ranks alongside terrorism as one of the four key security challenges facing the UK.

"Vulnerabilities in the internet are being exploited aggressively not just by criminals but also by states. The extent of what is going on is astonishing, with industrial-scale processes involving many thousands of people lying behind both State-sponsored cyber espionage and organised cyber crime."

Guseff, deputy marketing director at StarForce Technologies, reinforced the MI5's chief's warning that the threat of cyber espionage and widespread cyber crime to the integrity, confidentiality and availability of government information is equally worrying for business and academic institutions.

He agrees with MI5's risk assessment on the threats not only to high-level government information but also to the safety and security of countries' infrastructure, intellectual property and commercially-sensitive details which underpin the foundations and success of companies and corporations.

"What the MI5 chief is saying is that companies and government authorities have no effective countermeasures to deal with cyber terrorism," says Guseff. "Our main concern is that businesses and authorities are too passive - they are waiting and watching but they are not taking the appropriate steps to try to prevent problems before they occur."

The threat to businesses impacts not only on industrial companies but on foreign subsidiaries and suppliers of professional services who, without full protection, are also at risk.

Guseff says business directors must put the threats of cyber crime and security breaches to their organisation at the top of their business priorities.

"Prioritising what actions they need to take to counter these threats is essential. Developing a strategy to meet these risks should be part of their normal corporate governance - and they should be urging their business partners and key suppliers to do the same."

StarForce is aware of a company in London which has lost more than £800 million through cyber crime, predominantly through the loss of intellectual property and commercial disadvantage during contractual negotiations.

"They will not be the only company to lose out," says Guseff. "The problem is that companies are only concerned about the potential damage to their own business. The impact of cybercrime on one business can be good news for its competitors. This view is insular and short-sighted but it may take years to change the way people think. By then, it may be too late."

Guseff says global dependence upon the internet - for everything from communications to traffic management systems, and from bank ATMs to industrial control systems - increases the opportunities for cybercriminals, terrorists and mischief-makers to cause financial mayhem with information, communication and data control systems.

"Imagine the chaos in London if the city's traffic management system was hacked and every light remained on green. This can be prevented by protecting the system's software against modification which creates a serious obstacle for anyone trying to hack into the system."

StarForce is making important contributions to international developments to ensure the appropriate IT security management standards are in place to handle the higher level of risks.

"We need to keep one step ahead of the hackers," says Guseff. "Standards can quickly become obsolete, therefore constantly updating security management in government, industry and throughout our key businesses must become the number one priority.

"Governments and businesses must join forces and work closer together in the war against cybercrime.

"The Government National Cyber Security Strategy makes it clear that battles will only be won if the UK government works closely with the private sector to tackle cyber security issues and to make the UK more resilient to attacks from hackers and other cyber terrorists."