Computer systems in the UK, US and Germany are among the
likely targets of political, military, economic and technical
espionage, with cyber spying posing the biggest security threat in
2008.
This is a major finding of the third annual
Virtual Criminology Report based on input from organisations
such as the
Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), the London School of
Economics, Nato, and the FBI.
Other main trends include an increasing threat to online
services such as banking, voice over IP, and social networking,
along with the emergence of increasingly complex and resilient
malware.
The report, commissioned by computer security firm McAfee, found
that China was spearheading around 120 countries expected to be
competing for cyber supremacy in the next 10 to 20 years.
The report said high-tech crime was now a threat to national
security and not just industry and individuals, with government and
allied groups using the internet for cyber spying and cyber
attacks.
"There are signs that intelligence agencies around the world are
constantly probing other governments' networks looking for
strengths and weaknesses," said Peter Sommer of the London School
of Economics, one of the report's authors.
Targets include critical national infrastructure network systems
such as electricity, air traffic control, financial markets and
government computer networks.
According to Nato, many governments are still unaware of the
threats facing them and some were leaving themselves open to cyber
attack.
"Global cybercrime is a major problem costing businesses and
consumers billions a year, and the wider use of technology in
developing countries only further opens the window of opportunity
for evildoers," said Dave DeWalt, president and chief executive at
McAfee.