Infosec 2009: Experts discuss the cyber crime landscape

Beating cyber crime needs a concerted effort

Every person who goes online has a part to play in helping to reduce e-crime and better secure cyberspace, according to a panel of experts speaking at the Infosecurity Europe show in London.

Philip Virgo, secretary general of Eurim, began the panel debate by highlighting the development of today's real-world law enforcement agencies, which were originally created by businesses such as rail companies and banks rather than by governments.

Virgo believes that we cannot expect governments to shoulder all the responsibility for policing the internet. He believes that only by users, agencies, security firms and organisations working together can the huge problem of cyber crime begin to be addressed.

His call was echoed by Charlie McMurdie, detective superintendent of the newly formed Police Central e-Crime Unit (PceU), who is pushing for greater interaction between the various stakeholders, both public and private, across various countries.

"Currently, everyone is doing different things in different ways," she said. "We need to develop structure, standards and training, not only for the 43 police forces across the UK, but all the organisations involved in helping detect, prevent and track down illegal online behaviour."

This will help to speed up investigations, and help eliminate duplication, thereby freeing up more of the limited resources, according to McMurdie.

The PceU is pushing for end users to get involved as well by reporting even relatively minor instances of e-crime, as these can help to locate and identify the large organised criminal gangs.

"It is more pieces of the jigsaw coming together to provide a better investigation. We need to gear up the limited resources that I've got so that we can provide a better service to the public," added McMurdie.

"We've got to look at improving our police response. Cyber crime is going up, but my resources aren't, and the only way I can make them grow is by better harvesting the links with industry."

Alun Michael MP, chairman of the Eurim e-crime working group, highlighted the growth of online surfing, as users go online trying to find the best deals when shopping for goods and services.

"It's not about technology, it's about human nature and human failings. Trying to tackle crime works better if you understand the problem before you start, and if you plan properly," he said.

"In the real world, before you start to develop a crime reduction strategy for a city it's vital to understand the place you're dealing with. 'What's the geography?', what's the population?', 'what are the businesses?' are the types of questions you need to ask."

Michael maintained that the same applies in the online world, and that a similar approach should be adopted, albeit at a faster pace to better match that of the internet.

All the panellists agreed that the challenges are great, particularly around international issues such as variations in laws and the complexity of jurisdiction regarding online fraud that spans geographical boundaries.

However, by creating a multi-stakeholder environment and involving everyone, law enforcement agencies can start to get a better picture of what is going on, and help to shut down organised gangs of hackers.

"We're in this together. It's about the people, stupid!" concluded Michael.