Computer hacking 'costs billions'
Tuesday, 27 April 2004 20:20 EST
Three-quarters of UK companies have been hit by security breaches in their computer systems over the past year, costing billions to industry. Viruses, staff misuse and hacking are blamed in the survey by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) and accountancy firm PwC. Most businesses know there is a problem, PwC said, and virus writing gangs are getting more sophisticated. The average computer incident costs large companies £120,000 a time. UK businesses are being exposed to ever-greater threats to their information systems as use of the internet and wider connectivity among companies increases, the government-sponsored survey found.
The DTI's Information Security Breaches Survey discovered that 74% of all businesses and 94% of large companies had an IT security incident in the last year, up from 44% of all businesses in 2002 and just 24% in 2000.
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