The Russian interior minister has called for the world to take a united stand against online criminals. 

Rashid Nurgaliyev told a Moscow press conference for the International Anti-Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism Forum that the danger from online attacks is now as great as the threat from major weaponry.

"The consequences of online attacks could even prove to be comparable with the use of weapons of mass destruction," he said.

Nurgaliyev added that criminals are now using a wide arsenal of technologies against the information infrastructure, and that the number of attacks is increasing.

"The creation of a solid barrier to prevent the spread of these practices, with a clear cross-border character, is impossible without unifying all the affected countries," he said.

Russia has often been named as the source of extortion rackets, phishing attacks and hacking, as well as the origin of a number of viruses.