UK Announces Plans for ‘Cyber Reserve’ Online Crime Defence Force

UK Govt. Announces Plans for ‘Cyber Reserve’ Online Crime Defense Force

Earlier this week, the UK government announced that it was planning on setting up a ‘cyber reserve’ force aimed at dealing with security threats brought about by online crime. The proposed force will be run by the country’s ministry of defense and is going to allow the armed forces to draw on the nation’s computer-related talents in order to ward off online attacks and stem the tides of cyber crime. Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude claims that ‘critical’ work is required in order to combat online lawbreaking. He says that nine tenths of large British corporations and three quarters of small British businesses have reported experiencing a cyber breach within the last year, meaning that this force has now become a necessity.

Cyber Crime in the UK

Research conducted by a team of academics recruited by the UK Ministry of Defense earlier this year concluded that the country spends a billion US dollars per year on protecting against and cleaning up after instances of cyber crime. This includes the cost of measures taken to safeguard bank account security and reduce computer-related fraud, the money forked out by businesses purchasing anti-virus software and the cost of removing viruses from computers. In addition to criminals, terrorists and rogue states have also targeted computers in the UK, meaning that it is not difficult to see why the country would consider setting up such a force.

More Students Trained in Tackling Cyber Crime Needed

Maude has promised to make the UK one of the safest places in the world to conduct online business. He added that further details of the ‘cyber reserve’ plans would be revealed in 2013 and said that British government agencies and departments are working with professional bodies in order to ensure that the consideration of internet security becomes an integral component of corporate governance and the risk management process. He stated that UK officials want more students in the country trained in the skills required for tackling cyber crime and pointed out that the nation’s ministry of defense is examining new methods for attracting talented cyber security specialists, as they are required for critical areas of work.

Cyber-Spying by Hostile Nations

The UK Ministry of Defence’s announcement came in the wake of revelations that hostile foreign states had carried out ‘mapping’ of the systems that control the country’s power and water supplies. Officials refused to name the nations that were believed to have carried out this mapping but there have been reports in the United States that China and Russia have conducted similar reconnaissance exercises there, which suggests that they could be the countries that are responsible for this cyber-spying activity. With this in mind, it is little wonder the UK is stepping up its security, as it wishes to safeguard vital information.

Cyber Confidence Tracker

Francis Maude stated that the increasing number of threats posed to the UK’s online security is partly down to the growth of the internet economy. He said that the country’s government cannot take sole responsibility for fighting cyber crime and emphasized the fact that individuals and businesses would also have to play their part. Next spring the UK will be taking steps to improve online security for consumers and small businesses. The nation plans on launching a ‘cyber confidence tracker’, which will keep tabs on online behaviors and perceptions about internet security in an effort to ensure that the advise that they are delivering to the public about this subject is being conveyed in the best possible way.

Implications

It appears that the UK is now taking the threat of cyber attack extremely seriously, which it is wise to do considering the increasing trend of nations targeting the infrastructures of those that they are hostile towards via the internet. This is a sign that the web is becoming the new battleground in the international struggle for power. The full extent of the country’s plans for its ‘cyber reserve’ are not yet known. It is also questionable whether it will be used solely for defense purposes. Espionage is no longer dominated by spies being physically placed in another country. It is now evidently moving online, meaning that countries are being forced to adapt and develop cyber spies of their own.

Special article by 

Evelyn Anderson of International Business and Journalism

Guest Editor VOGH

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After Maharashtra Now Srinagar is Setting up A new Cyber-Cell

After Maharashtra Now Srinagar is Setting up A new Cyber-Cell 

To fight against rising cyber-crime Srinagar is setting up another cyber Police Station. This will be the second Cyber police station in Jammu & Kashmir.  Earlier the state’s home department had proposed to establish three cyber police station, with two in Srinagar and one in Jammu. In Srinagar, cyber police stations were supposed to be established at Crime Branch Headquarters and SOG headquarters Cargo. The cyber crime police station located at SOG headquarters Jammu was inaugurated by chief minister Omar Abdullah on February 16 this year. 

On the same day, the police and civil administration in Srinagar had made adequate arrangements for online inauguration of cyber crime police station by chief minister at Srinagar based SOG headquarters.  “The Cyber crime police station here was not inaugurated,citing the reason that one state could not have more than one such police station,” said a senior police officer.  

 “A full fledged cyber police station will start functioning in Srinagar by next month as preparations for establishing it are almost complete,” Director General of Police (DGP) J&K, Kuldeep Khoda told media. Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir has become sixth state and seventh place in India to have separate cyber crime police station. Prior to Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and CBI Headquarters in New Delhi had set up separate police stations to deal with the cyber crime. Earlier in this month we cover that Maharashtra Govt is planning to setup 5 More Cyber-Cells In Maharashtra including Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune & Kolhapur. So we must have to say slowly but steadily Indian Govt is plaining to enhance cyber-security :-P 

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Philippine Becomes Haven for Organized Cybercrime (Pornography, Cyber Sex Dens, Online Gambling, CC Fraud and Id theft)

A top Philippine National Police official said the country has become a “haven” for transnational organized crime syndicates involved in cyber pornography, cyber sex dens, illegal online gambling, credit card fraud and identity theft due to weak laws against cyber crimes and the poor technical know-how of law enforcers.
Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr., director of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said cyber-crime mafias, mostly foreigners, have established their base of operations in the Philippines. Pagdilao said cyber-crime operators have taken advantage of the PNP’s “organizational and technical incapability” to fight cyber crimes.
While cyber-crime syndicates use sophisticated technology, he rued that “law enforcers in the country are lagging behind in terms of training and equipment.”
Pagdilao asked Congress to prioritize passing the proposed cyber-crime prevention law to address the country’s legal inadequacies. He also asked the PNP to support the organizational and technical capability build-up of the CIDG’s cyber-crime unit. Pagdilao said foreign mafias have been running cyber-sex dens and cyber-pornography operations in the country. He said Korean mafias have been behind illegal online gambling and credit card fraud operations in the country.
Pagdilao said their recent arrest here of a Korean hacker wanted by Interpol revealed that “Korean cyber-crime syndicates are operating almost unhampered” in the country.

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FBI Started National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012

FBI Started National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012

Last week the  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a report based on information from law enforcement and complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) detailing recent cyber crime trends and new twists to previously-existing cyber scams. As you all know that the Month of October is celebrated as National Cyber Security Awareness Month for last nine years. This year also FBI declared the October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2012. According to the official blog of FBI - the threat has continued to grow even more complex and sophisticated. Just 12 days ago, in fact, FBI Director Robert Mueller said that “cyber security may well become our highest priority in the years to come.” 

For its part, the FBI is strengthening its cyber operations to sharpen its focus on the greatest cyber threats to national security: computer intrusions and network attacks. We are enhancing the technological capabilities of all investigative personnel and hiring additional computer scientists to provide expert technical support to critical investigations. We are creating two distinct task forces in each field office: Cyber Task Forces, focused on intrusions and network attacks that will draw on our existing cyber squads; and Child Exploitation Task Forces, focused on crimes against children. We are also increasing the size and scope of the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force—the FBI-led multi-agency focal point for coordinating and sharing cyber threat information to stop current and future attacks.

The FBI also runs several other cyber-related programs, including the Innocent Images National Initiative—which combats online child predators—and the Internet Crime Complaint Center—a partnership between the Bureau and the National White Collar Crime Center that serves as a clearinghouse for triaging cyber complaints and provides an easy-to-use online tool for reporting these complaints.

Because of the interconnectedness of online systems, every American who uses digital technologies at home or in the office can—and must—play a part in cyber security. For example, if you open a virus-laden e-mail attachment at work, you could infect your entire company’s computer network. Don’t be the weakest link: get educated on cyber safety.

Here are a few basic steps you can take to be more secure:

• Set strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone.
• Keep a clean machine—your operating system, browser, and other critical software are optimized by installing regular updates.
• Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends, and community about Internet safety.
• Limit the amount of personal information you post online, and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
• Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Visit the links below for more tips on protecting your computers and other electronic devices, information on cyber threats, and details on how to report cyber crimes or scams:

- Report Cyber Crime

- How to Protect Your Computer

- Emerging E-Scams | Internet Fraud

- Keep Safe on Social Networking Sites

For more information:

- FBI Cyber Crime Webpage

- Department of Homeland Security Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign

- Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month Website

- StaySafeOnline Website

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5 More Cyber-Cells In Maharashtra (Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune & Kolhapur)

5 More Cyber-Cells In Maharashtra (Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune & Kolhapur)

 

In a bid to curb cyber crime, the Maharashtra government on Saturday announced that it would set up five more cyber cells in the state. According to Satej Patil  minister of state for home "The cyber cells will be set up in Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune and Kolhapur mainly to curb cyber crimes like data theft and hacking," Maharashtra reported an increase of 151% in cyber crime, with cases rising from 161 in 2009 to 246 in 2010. Mumbai alone reported 49 cases as against 39 in 2009. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report ‘Crime in India for the year 2010’, the city registered 58 cases related to cyber crime under the IT Act, 2000, in 2010, as against eight in 2009.
Pune is closely followed by Hyderabad at second position with 56 cases, Bangalore and Mumbai are at the third position with 49 cases each
A senior officer attached with the city police told DNA, “Presently, Bangalore and Hyderabad, the two top IT hubs in the country, have such specialised police station. The Mumbai police also opened a station at Bandra-Kurla complex in suburban Bandra on May 2009,” Cyber crime victims have to virtually run from pillar to post to lodge complaints.

Late in 2011 we have seen Kolkata has set up a new cyber-lab to prevent or fight against cyber crime, now Maharashtra Govt. has planned to setup 5 new cyber cells. So we must have to say slowly but steadily Indian Govt is plaining to enhance cyber-security :P

-Source (DNA India & TOI)

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New Cyber-Lab at Kolkata To Prevent Cyber Crime

Black-hats of kolkata get alerted because  now Kolkata cyber crime Dept. is more stronger and starting new cyber lab to protect cyber crime.

The city has got a cyber crime laboratory, seventh of its kind in the country. State Commerce and Industries and Information Technology Minister Partha Chatterjee inaugurated the lab at Lalbazar on Wednesday.

The laboratory — set up with assistance from Data Security Council of India, a Nasscom body — will act as a resource centre and help train police in cyber crime investigation.

Commissioner of police R K Pachnanda said, “At a time when we are receiving an increasing number of cases of bank fraud and hacking emails and profiles in social networking websites, the laboratory will work as a resource centre for our officers. We also have started several training courses for our officers on cyber crime.”

Kolkata, notably, has a dedicated police station to probe cyber crime. A senior official of the station said, “We receive cases of social networking websites being hacked. We also get complaints of mobile banking fraud cases.” 

 

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UK is Enhancing Cyber Security to fight Against Hackers

The fight against cyber crime needs a stronger common international legal framework to enable perpetrators outside the country of their victims to be tracked down and punished, a British security official said on Tuesday.
James Brokenshire, a Home Office (Interior Ministry) Minister for Crime and Security, added in remarks to reporters that governments and companies had to work much more closely together to fight the "scammers, fraudsters and hackers" who were creating a truly global problem.
"Active international partnerships are central to tackling cyber crime," he said. "There needs to be an international response including international treaties, bilateral treaties and common agreements between countries." A priority for governments is to find ways of hunting criminals across borders and ensuring they are punished, but many nations lack a common definition of cyber crime or common legal standards that would enable prosecutions of criminals operating offshore. Security experts have long said the core problem has been that nations are thinking too parochially about their online security to collaborate on crafting global cyber regulation.
High-profile online assaults in recent weeks have targeted the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Senate, and companies such as Citigroup and Lockheed Martin Corp. The raids have raised doubts about the security of government and corporate computer systems and the ability of law enforcement to track down hackers. Saying there should be "no safe haven" for online criminals, Brokenshire added that governments had to work with the private sector to provide technical expertise to police in those countries that lacked the resources to fight cyber criminals.

He was speaking at the launch of the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA), a global not-for-profit organisation that aims to channel funding, expertise and help directly to law enforcement cyber crime units around the world.The venture, which will seek funding from the European Union, governments of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain, and private sector companies, plans to work in partnership with European police agency EUROPOL.
Rik Ferguson, Director of Security Research at Trend Micro said areas of concern to ICSPA included Brazil, which had expertise in banking malware, China, where computers were often used by criminals elsewhere to host attacks in third countries, and Russia and Ukraine.Companies supporting the venture include McAfee , Cassidian, Trend Micro, Yodel, Core Security Technologies, Visa Europe , Shop Direct group, A&REdelman, Transactis and Article10. Cyber crime costs the British economy some 27 billion pounds ($43.5 billion) a year and appears to be "endemic", according to the first official government estimate of the issue published in February 2011.
Brokenshire's call echoes remarks by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano who said last week that cyber criminals were outwitting national and international legal systems that fail to embrace technological advances.

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Dutch Govt. Setup National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) To Protect Cyber-Crime

Now the Dutch Govt. is also paying attention to secure the Cyber Fence. To protect cyber crime and enhance cyber security The Dutch government has set up a new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to deal with with the growing problem of online crime. The NCSC, which is a public-private partnership, commenced operations on 1 January 2012. Its ambition is to grow, in a phased manner, into the cooperation platform for cyber security in the Netherlands. In 2011 more than 123K web pages of Netherland was infected by Lilupophilupop attack and also recently a Hacker Group named The Hackers Army has hacked thousand of  Dutch sites while running their operation named #OPfreePalestine. Dutch cyber fence also been target from different part of the world. So this newly formed NCSC was indeed needed by Dutch Authorities.  

In the Netherlands several government departments are involved in the fight against cyber crime - and that's precisely the problem. The NCSC should improve coordination between them. The centre will bundle together a lot of knowledge and expertise. The NCSC is composed of over sixty people and will deal especially with the major issues. Wouter Stol is cyber safety expert at the NHL University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden.
He sees the NCSC as a good start:- "It's a clear move to streamline the approach to cybercrime. But it's not just about coordination. There's far too little knowledge in the public sector. How do you handle the problems with cyber crime? How do you organize it? Much remains to be done."

The fight against cybercrime is still in its infancy, according Mr Stol. First you have to map properly how cybercrime - nationally and internationally - actually works. Cyber criminals are a difficult group because they often don't operate from a fixed location. An efficient response is only possible through international cooperation that is fast and smooth. To keep up with the technical know-how of the cyber criminals, the government has suggested turning to "ethical" hackers. This is the group that detect various leaks and weak spots. They hack the sites of companies and governments to identify the problems, not for criminal reasons. Wouter Stol thinks that these hackers will soon be needed. "Developments in the digital world are rapid. Training a few internet producers isn't enough. Before you know it you'll be left behind. It's a good strategy to gain the latest knowledge in a flexible manner. So you also need the hackers."

-Source (Radio Netherlands)

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FBI's Cybercrime Unit Taken New Initiative to Nab Hackers & Intruders

FBI's Cybercrime Unit Taken New Initiative to Nab Hackers & Intruders 

The month of October has been declared by FBI as the National Cyber Security Awareness Month of 2012 , and in the last week of this month the cyber crime division of FBI has started a new program which will specially emphasis on hackers and intrusion. The main aim of this program is to focusing on hackers and to prevent cyber crime. Last month  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a report based on information from law enforcement and complaints submitted to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) detailing recentcyber crime trends and new twists to previously-existing cyber scams. Now the recent movement of FBI will surely inject fear into the heart & mind of hackers. According to FBI's official release - Early last year, hackers were discovered embedding malicious software in two million computers, opening a virtual door for criminals to rifle through users’ valuable personal and financial information. Last fall, an overseas crime ring was shut down after infecting four million computers, including half a million in the U.S. In recent months, some of the biggest companies and organizations in the U.S. have been working overtime to fend off continuous intrusion attacks aimed at their networks. The scope and enormity of the threat—not just to private industry but also to the country’s heavily networked critical infrastructure—was spelled out last month in Director Robert S. Mueller’s testimony to a Senate homeland security panel: “Computer intrusions and network attacks are the greatest cyber threat to our national security.”

To that end, the FBI over the past year has put in place an initiative to uncover and investigate web-based intrusion attacks and develop a cadre of specially trained computer scientists able to extract hackers’ digital signatures from mountains of malicious code. Agents are cultivating cyber-oriented relationships with the technical leads at financial, business, transportation, and other critical infrastructures on their beats. 

Today, investigators in the field can send their findings to specialists in the FBI Cyber Division’s Cyber Watch command at Headquarters, who can look for patterns or similarities in cases. The 24/7 post also shares the information with partner intelligence and law enforcement agencies—like the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and the National Security Agency—on the FBI-led National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.

A key aim of the Next Generation Cyber Initiative has been to expand our ability to quickly define “the attribution piece” of a cyber attack to help determine an appropriate response, said Richard McFeely, executive assistant director of the Bureau’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “The attribution piece is: who is conducting the attack or the exploitation and what is their motive,” McFeely explained. “In order to get to that, we’ve got to do all the necessary analysis to determine who is at the other end of the keyboard perpetrating these actions.”

The Cyber Division’s main focus now is on cyber intrusions, working closely with the Bureau’s Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Divisions.  “We are obviously concerned with terrorists using the Internet to conduct these types of attacks,” McFeely said. “As the lead domestic intelligence agency within the United States, it’s our job to make sure that businesses’ and the nation’s secrets don’t fall into the hands of adversaries.”

In the Coreflood case in early 2011, hackers enlisted a botnet—a network of infected computers—to do their dirty work. McFeely urged everyone connected to the Internet to be vigilant against computer viruses and malicious code, lest they become victims or unwitting pawns in a hacker or web-savvy terrorist’s malevolent scheme.

“It’s important that everybody understands that if you have a computer that is outward-facing—that it’s connected to the web—that your computer is at some point going to be under attack,” he said. “You need to be aware of the threat and you need to take it seriously.” 

To Listen the Podcast of FBI's "“The intrusions are occurring 24/7, 365 days a year.” Click Here

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20-year-old BE student helps crack cyber cases

He is just 20 and studying in third year of Bachelors of Engineering (BE), computers at Faculty of Technology and Engineering, M S University (MSU). But, he spends most of his time at the police stations in the city. Whenever, the cops come across cyber crime cases, they simply dial up Bhaumik Merchant's number. And, Merchant does not disappoint them. He has helped police officials crack many cases ranging from e-mail hacking to online financial frauds.
The cops have also been able to trace accused and take action against them in some of the cases. Interestingly, despite claims of having its own cyber crime cell, the cops have to rely more on such experts. "I was working as an intern with the crime branch last year when I came in touch with the police. I started working on some cyber crime cases that were registered in the police stations and got associated with the cops," Merchant told TOI.
"While I get to solve tough cyber crime cases, working for public cause also gives me satisfaction," Merchant said.
Last year, the city police got a case wherein a girl's photographs were picked up from her Facebook (FB) profile and cropped by her ex-boyfriend. The accused pasted his and her photographs on a certificate to prove that they were married. He sent that certificate copy to her fiancée who broke the engagement. Merchant tracked the case and even helped her close her FB account. 
In a case of financial fraud, a resident of Wadi area lost Rs 40,000 from his bank account after he submitted his credit card number and bank account number to a website that promised him a lottery amount of 4.50 lakh British pounds. Merchant tracked the transactions and found that while the email came from Nigeria, money was withdrawn from Delhi.
"We come across several cyber crime cases in the city and Merchant has been very helpful. He has helped us solve many cyber cases. It is very necessary to keep case details confidential during investigations and despite being so young, Merchant has been very co-operative," said Gotri police inspector Shankar Chaudhary.
A senior cop admitted that the police department does not have cyber experts who can work on such cases and that there is a need to train policemen in tracking online frauds. 

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England Launched Three New Cyber Crime Hub

England Launched Three New Cyber Crime Hub 

Like US also England is enhancing cyber security system. Recently England started three new cyber crime hub as part of a £6m regional effort to combat growing threats in three different part of the country. Yorkshire and the Humber, the Northwest and East Midlands will each get its own dedicated cyber cell unit. They will work alongside the Metropolitan Police Centre e-crime Unit which deals with national online security. The funding is part of £30m targeted at bolstering e-crime prevention nationally over the next four years. The new centres will consist of three members of staff - a detective sergeant and two detective constables.
The initiative was announced at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) e-crime conference in Sheffield on Wednesday. In an exclusive report BBC said:- 

A training period is required before the hubs will be fully operational, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Janet Williams, who heads ACPO's e-crime efforts, said. "It is anticipated the hubs will make a significant contribution to the 'national harm reduction' target of £504m." "These three additional policing units are going to play a critical role in our ability to combat the threat," she added. Harm reduction is calculated using a "harm matrix" - a system which factors in costs such as how much the criminal stood to gain, how much money was invested in the crime, and the potential cost to the victim. "In the first six months of the new funding period alone we have already been able to show a reduction of £140m with our existing capability," Ms Williams said. Britain's e-crime efforts were exposed last week after a conference call in which Met officers discussed operations against hackers with the FBI was itself intercepted by hackers. Details about active investigations into hackers who identified themselves with the activist collective Anonymous were posted online. At one point in the tape, a British detective can be heard saying: "We're here to help. We've cocked things up in the past, we know that."

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Oxford University Will Get £1 Million of Investment in Next 2 Year to Tackle Cyber Crime

Oxford University Will Get £1 Million of Investment in Next 2 Year to Tackle Cyber Crime

The rising amount of cyber crime has already put the world of security under a serious threat. Since last five years we have seen many devastating cyber attack which have broken almost every security measure. In short, today the entire cyber space is posing a serious risk. To get rid of this situation many developed countries have already started taking required counter measure. Cyber awareness program, campaigns are going in almost every part of the world. Such steps and countermeasures were mainly limited to government and corporate, but now as we are sitting at the edge of cyber threat, so the security system should be more enhanced. While looking at the current status OXFORD University have came forward, and they are going to open a cyber hub to tackle these ongoing cyber challenges. Acceding to the official website of Oxford Mail - OXFORD University will get £1 million of investment in the next two years to fund a center to tackle cyber crime. Funding for the Government’s Global Center for Cyber Security Capacity Building has been announced by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who pledged £500,000 a year for at least the next two years. It will be based at the home of the Oxford Martin School, with the aim of combating activists and terrorists who are posing a growing threat to our national security and economy.

The school’s director, Ian Goldin, Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development, said: “The whole purpose is to address critical challenges of the future. The international scale of the challenge requires new research and connections with the business world, which is part of the school’s mandate.” The centre will be based at the Old Indian Institute, a former university library building, on the corner of Broad Street and Catte Street, which is currently being refurbished. Prof Goldin, whose new book Divided Nations explores the risks brought about by rapid globalization and technological leaps like the internet, said keeping up with criminals will be far from easy. He said: “We are in a race, or struggle, between people who want to keep systems safe and secure and those who – for whatever reasons that may be commercial, nationalist or anarchical – want to undermine the system. That won’t end. 

According to some legitimate sources it has been confirmed that the new center will be a beacon of expertise and put the UK at the forefront of cyber policy development. It will operate from Broad Street from September. The two-year funding will help pay for an additional 12 specialists. Sadie Creese will head the new center as professor of cyber security.

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Hong Kong Govt Opens a New Cyber Security Center Worth $9 Million

Hong Kong Govt Opens a New Cyber Security Center Worth $9 Million

Now a days cyber attack has became one of the most challenging issue for almost every country and its Government. Previously we have seen cyber awareness were mainly limited to the first world countries like USA, England, Australia and few other European countries. While keeping in mind the rising amount of cyber threats and its output, now both second world and the third world countries have also taken this issues very seriously. To get rid of this burring challenge and to make it's cyber fence safe and secure The Hong Kong Govt launched a Cyber Security Center on December 7 to enhance the city’s internet security and protection of critical infrastructure, and strengthen the defense against cyber-attacks. Hong Kong Govt has spent HK$9 million (£730,000) for this new Cyber Security Center in a bid to tackle the growing threat to critical infrastructure in the Special Administrative Region of China. The Center  which will operate under the Technology Crime Division of the Commercial Crime Bureau, will start with a force of 27 police personnel, ranking from Police Constable to Chief Inspector. “The incidence of cyber-attacks is increasing,” said Tsang Wai-hung, Commissioner of Police, during the inauguration ceremony of the Center  “Police recognize the need to respond to the worldwide cyber crime phenomenon, particularly cyber-attacks aimed at critical infrastructures, by enhancing our readiness and capability to counter such threats.

So far the Cyber Security Center has been given four main responsibilities as follows:-

1. It will strengthen collaboration with other government departments and stakeholders, both local and overseas, concerning cyber-attacks against critical infrastructures. 
2. It will monitor the flow, but not the content, of data traffic of major infrastructure systems.
3. The Center will collect intelligence to analyse cyber-attacks, and provide an immediate response when necessary.
4. The Center will conduct research into cyber security and cyber-attacks, and perform security audits to maintain the protection of Hong Kong.

In addition to these key responsibilities, the Center will support the daily operations of the Technology Crime Division in the prevention and detection of technology crimes. 

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Canada shoots to sixth place in global cyber crime list

Canada usually ranked 12th or 13th but its cyber crime landscape has changed dramatically in the past year, according to new Websense report. The country is also second globally for hosting phishing sites with a 319 percent jump in the number of servers hosting those sites.

Canada’s cyber crime landscape has undergone dramatic change in the last year, according to a new Websense Inc. report. Canada not only has ranked second in the world for hosting phishing sites from January to May of 2011, but it’s also suffered a 319 per cent jump in the number of servers hosting those phishing sites.

 “This is the first time ever we’ve seen Canada in the top three,” said Dan Hubbard, chief technology officer with Websense Inc., a San Diego, Calif.-based security technology vendor.

Canada has typically not made it to the top 10 countries hosting phishing sites. The top five countries are the U.S., Canada, Egypt, Germany and the U.K.

As for the dramatic growth rate in the number of servers, already numbering in the tens of thousands, that host malicious sites, Canada is only second to Egypt.

Hubbard said it’s difficult to ascertain the reason behind the marked change in Canada’s threat landscape, but it may be related to the recent crackdown on cyber criminals in the U.S. organized at the federal government level. Also, hackers are probably on the move as IP addresses in China and Eastern Europe have recently undergone intense scrutiny.

Websense also found an increase in bot nets in Canada by 53 per cent in the past eight months. That rise in number has resulted in a second-place ranking for Canada in the world.

Overall, Canada’s global ranking for countries hosting cyber crime has climbed to number six. Hubbard pointed out that in 2010, Canada was much lower down the list with a ranking of 12 or 13.

The sort of attacks originating from Canada aren’t any different from what they may be in another country, said Hubbard. That said, the only difference, geography-wise, is cyber crime targeted at the banking sector.

“You’re not going to go after a Russian bank in Canada,” said Hubbard.

And, while cybercrime itself has not changed much across the years, Hubbard said it’s the level of sophistication that is different over time.

In March, Symantec’s March 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report found that, in Canada, spam accounted for 79.4 per cent of e-mail received, and malware accounted for one in 160.1 e-mails, according to the March 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report by Symantec Corp.

While the figures are a tad higher than the global spam rate, trends in Canada’s threat landscape have consistently followed rather closely the global rate, said Paul Wood, senior analyst for MessageLabs Intelligence with the Cupertino, Calif.-based security vendor.

“Canada has always featured prominently in terms of the spammer output,” said Wood.

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Cyber Crime Cost $8 Billion Loss For India in Last 12 Months

Cyber Crime Cost $8 Billion Loss For India in Last 12 Months While Affecting 42 Million People 

In its annual cybercrime report, security firm Norton has estimated that India has lost more than $8 Billion; in Indian currency around 42,000 Crore in last twelve months. This big consumer cyber espionage has effected more than 42 million of people around the country. In terms of cost, this is a full 18 per cent increase. Against this, the global loss has been pegged at $110 billion. The study further notes that as many as 66 per cent of online adults in India have been a victim of cyber crime. During the past 12 months, as many as 56 per cent of online adults here have experienced cyber crime, over 1,15,000 victims per day, 80 victims per minute and over one every second.

According to the report, the average direct financial cost per victim is $192, which is up 18 per cent over 2011 when it was $163. One key finding this year is that both the cost per victim as well as social and mobile incidents are on the rise due to cybercrime. The study is based on the findings of self-reported experiences of over 13,000 adults across 24 countries, Norton by Symantec said in a statement. 

Globally, every second, 18 adults fall victim to cybercrime, resulting in over 1.5 million cybercrime victims each day. With losses totaling an average of $197 per victim across the world in direct financial costs, in the past 12 months, an estimated 556 million experienced cybercrime, representing 46 per cent of online adults, says the report. Last year, the figure was 45 per cent. "Cybercriminals are changing their tactics to target fast growing mobile platforms and social networks where consumers are less aware of security risks," says Norton by Symantec Asia director and internet safety advocate Effendy Ibrahim said. 

If we compare with other countries who are very much advance in IT then a very nasty truth will come appear, and that is being sound in IT still India is very much week and also careless of cyber security. This carelessness of Indian Govt has already cost maximum damage in terms of finance, defense, privacy and so on. India has already faced big damage in cyber space (both financially & reputation) from native countries like China, Pakistan, where sensitive data of Govt, defense, nuclear & space research has allegedly been stolen by cyber criminals. So far India was dam careless but couple of weeks ago things changed dramatically. And now the Indian Govt is working on a robust cyber security structure, Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh himself confirmed that from now on wards India will pay as much attention as possible to make the cyber fence digitally safe and secured. 

-Source (Norton & msn)

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European Union (EU) Requested CBI To Join Cyber Security Project Worth $52.5 Billion

European Union (EU) has invited India to participate in a mega cyber security and cyber crime project worth 52.5 billion dollar (Rs 3.62 lakh crore) to secure economic and security interests of various countries globally. 

India has been asked to join a select group of nations to be involved in this research and information technology driven innovation project. Apart from US, Brazil and South Africa are other partners of EU in this project that will be kicked off shortly. The project that has counter-terrorism as a key component is likely to be part of a separate pact that EU and India will sign early next month at the twelfth summit between two sides.

As per the proposed pact, India and EU apart from other members would jointly fund as well as research on cyber crime and cyber security issues across the world. 

The project is intended to develop protocols and systems for preventing terror attacks physically and on information highway, an external affairs ministry official told Financial Chronicle on condition of anonymity. This massive project to be implemented over next eight years include securing electrical power systems by identifying the vulnerability, put in place defence systems and restoration in case of disruption. The project will also lead to protection of critical defence and civilian economic infrastructure from cyber attacks.

Risk prediction, analysis and reaction to critical infrastructure, is also expected to be put in place through this project. Private, public sector companies and government agencies would be involved in this project. Two rounds of consultation have already been completed between both India and EU on concluding the cyber crime and cyber security pact in February 2012. India and European Union will explore cooperation between CBI and EU’s home department for training on tackling cyber crime, establish single point of contact and also do joint research in the mega innovation project.

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Now anyone can be a cyber criminal

Cyber crime is no longer the exclusive domain of nerds with advanced coding and hacking skills. Thanks to simple and affordable, DIY downloadable crimeware, even novices can jump into what has turned into a global industry.
This is a far cry from the days when hacks were motivated more by the thrill of the kill than monetary gain, with even Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (Apple’s co-founders) allegedly on their rolls. It’s in the last decade, with the widening reach of the internet, that cyber crime turned virulent, as viruses like Melissa and I Love You clogged inboxes and spawned a multi-billion-dollar anti-virus software industry. And now, with the DIY attack kits, cybercrime is evolving into an extremely profitable, distributed global entity.
These malware toolkits aren’t just professional, marketable, and easy to deploy, they’re even being sold on a subscription model with after sales support.
Mpack, Neosploit, ZeuS, Nukespoilt P4ck, Phoenix … there’s an array of choices for script kiddies (those with minimal coding skills). “These kits come with features like encryption and hardware-based licensing, which one would find in enterprise-grade software,” says cyber sleuth Prasanna V, principal consultant of information security with Packet Verify. They enable users to launch pre-written threats against computer systems, and also customise them.
The United States, Russia, China, the UK, Germany, Brazil and Eastern European countries like the Ukraine are considered the hotbeds for development of such kits, and the damage they’re causing is already evident. According to a report by Symantec Corp, there was a 93% increase in web-based attacks in 2010 compared to the previous year, driven primarily by the prevalence of attack toolkits.
The modus operandi:
Most of the toolkits share a few common behavioural patterns, say Dr Madhupani and Dr Srinivas, technology experts with Cyber Security Works. “These can include capabilities to penetrate into browser processes, take screenshots of the victim’s machine or control it remotely, hijack e-banking sessions, add pages to a website and monitor them or steal passwords that have been stored by popular programs/browsers.” Users are lured through phishing websites, spam emails, download websites, freeware, or malicious codes inserted in legitimate programs.
What’s more worrying is that malware attacks from toolkits are difficult to monitor and curb because of both technological and legal factors. The cyber laws in most countries are largely inadequate to deal with the scale and reach of the crime. For example, a tool kit can enable a cyber criminal in Nigeria to spoof an Indian bank to send phishing emails to trick users in India. The network of cyber crime is spread so wide that it demands a coordinated effort by law enforcement agencies from all over the world that, as of now, is nonexistent.
On the technical side, “toolkits enable hackers to continuously generate new mutated malware variants, each targeting a different victim, making traditional discovery and fingerprinting of these threats nearly impossible,” says Ajay Goel, managing director, Symantec for India and SAARC.
On your guard:
So what can you do to protect yourself? For starters, realise that security does not start and end with an antivirus kit or a firewall, quips Prasanna. “Do not perform any financial transactions from shared systems like cyber cafes. Avoid connecting to free Wi-Fi hotspots. Scan USB before using. Stay away from suspicious websites and emails, limit the amount of personal information you give out on social networking sites like Facebook or Orkut,” he warns. “Finally, set the ‘automatic update’ option ON in all applications.”
Cyber Security Works issues another guideline: “Treat information the way you would treat your money.”

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FBI & NCFTA Combining Forces to Fight Better Against Cyber Crime

Long before it was acknowledged to be a significant criminal and national security threat, the FBI established a forward-looking organization to proactively address the issue of cyber crime. Since its creation in 1997, the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), based in Pittsburgh, has become an international model for bringing together law enforcement, private industry, and academia to share information to stop emerging cyber threats and mitigate existing ones.

“The exchange of strategic and threat intelligence is really the bread and butter of the NCFTA,” said Special Agent Eric Strom, who heads the FBI unit—the Cyber Initiative and Resource Fusion Unit (CIRFU)—assigned to the NCFTA. “The success of this effort at every level comes down to the free flow of information among our partners.”

When the nonprofit NCFTA was established, the biggest threat to industry was from spam—those annoying unsolicited e-mails that fill up inboxes. Today, the organization deals with malicious computer viruses, stock manipulation schemes, telecommunication scams, and other financial frauds perpetrated by organized crime groups who cause billions of dollars in losses to companies and consumers.

The NCFTA essentially works as an early-warning system. If investigators for a major banking institution, for example, notice a new kind of malware attacking their network, they immediately pass that information to other NCFTA members. Alliance members—many have staff permanently located at the NCFTA—then develop strategies to mitigate the threat. FBI agents and analysts from CIRFU, also located at NCFTA headquarters, use that information to open or further existing FBI investigations, often in concert with law enforcement partners around the world.

“Cyber crime has changed so much since those early days of spamming,” Strom said. “And the threat continues to evolve globally, which is why the NCFTA’s work is so critical to both business and law enforcement.”

The organization draws its intelligence from hundreds of private-sector members, Carnegie Mellon University’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). That extensive knowledge base has helped CIRFU play a key role in some of the FBI’s most significant cyber cases in the past several years. (See sidebar.)

-News Source (NCFTA & FBI)

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Iran Preparing Stronger Cyber Defense

Iran Preparing Stronger Cyber Defense 

While looking at the rise of cyber crime not only US and UK also Iran is preparing a strong cyber defense. According to the Iran's Press TV report - During the recent years cyber security has been high on the agenda in Iran. Tehran says that the reason for its special attention towards the issue is due to the growing number of attacks on Iran’s cyber space by US and Israel. That’s why the first national conference on cyber security kicked off in Iran’s interior ministry. The event which hosted high ranking executive and defense officials and experts, aimed at discussing ways to further strengthen the Iranian cyber space against any attacks.
Less than four months ago Iran launched a cyber defense headquarters with the help of its defense and communications ministries. The office categorizes Iran’s national assets to three parts including physical, human and cyber assets. The headquarters says that its responsibility is to protect the three categories with special emphasis on the country’s cyber assets.
Experts say that lack of enough security in a country’s cyber space is like sleeping in a house without locking the door. In 2009 some of Iran’s Uranium enrichment facilities were targeted by a computer worm called Stuxnet. Blaming the US and Israel, Iran managed to neutralize the cyber attack. In 2011 Iran’s nuclear program comes under another cyber threat with ‘Duqu'. Also hacker collective group Anonymous targeted Iran while performing massive DDoS attack on the 1st may last year.
The main task of cyber defense is to prevent computer worms or as some call it cyber weapons from breaking into or stealing data from the countries maximum security networks. These areas include nuclear facilities, power plants, data centers and banks. Iran has also established its own laws and definitions of cyber crime. Today there are several laws in dealing with the issue and a special branch of the police force is dedicated to patrolling Iran’s cyber space.

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EU Opens The Door of European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) To Protect Europe From Cyber Threat

EU Opens The Door of European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) To Protect Europe From Cyber Threat

We all are aware of FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center also known as IC3, which is protecting U.S. citizen from cyber criminals and attacks. But the cyber world is not limited to U.S. so as cyber criminals, and to get rid of this and while protecting every countries digital fence safe and secure there need to be organizations like IC3. All the growing and developing countries across the globe are in rush to ensue maximum digital and cyber security. This same rush and impact also applies for Europe countries and the result is in front of us. As the fight against cyber crime in Europe has got a new home. The European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) officially open its doors from this January 11, at the European Police Office, Europol in the Hague. In the middle of last year European Commission declared that are preparing a cybercrime center to fight against cyber threats. And after an effort of six months they made it possible and live for the people of Europe. Such organization will surely enhance the cyber security of European countries.  In the official press release EUROPA said "EC3 will be up and running to help protect European citizens and businesses from cyber-crime." 

EC3 officially commenced its activities on 1 January 2013 with a mandate to tackle the following areas of cybercrime: 

• That committed by organised groups to generate large criminal profits such as online fraud
• That which causes serious harm to the victim such as online child sexual exploitation
• That which affects critical infrastructure and information systems in the European Union

According to the press release of European Commission - "The Cybercrime Centre will give a strong boost to the EU's capacity to fight cybercrime and defend an internet that is free, open and secure. Cybercriminals are smart and quick in using new technologies for criminal purposes; the EC3 will help us become even smarter and quicker to help prevent and fight their crimes", said Commissioner Malmström.

"In combatting cybercrime, with its borderless nature and huge ability for the criminals to hide, we need a flexible and adequate response. The European Cybercrime Centre is designed to deliver this expertise as a fusion centre, as a centre for operational investigative and forensic support, but also through its ability to mobilise all relevant resources in EU Member States to mitigate and reduce the threat from cybercriminals wherever they operate from", said Troels Oerting, Head of the European Cybercrime Centre

Investigations into online fraud, child abuse online and other cybercrimes regularly involve hundreds of victims at a time, and suspects in many different parts of the world. Operations of this magnitude cannot be successfully concluded by national police forces alone.

The opening of the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) marks a significant shift in how the EU has been addressing cybercrime so far. Above all, the approach of the EC3 will be more forward-thinking and inclusive. It will pool expertise and information, support criminal investigations and promote EU-wide solutions.

The EC3 will focus on illegal online activities carried out by organised crime groups, especially attacks targeting e-banking and other online financial activities, online child sexual exploitation and those crimes that affect the critical infrastructure and information systems in the EU.

The Centre will also facilitate research and development and ensure capacity building among law enforcement, judges and prosecutors and will produce threat assessments, including trend analyses, forecasts and early warnings. In order to dismantle more cybercrime networks and prosecute more suspects, the EC3 will gather and process cybercrime related data and will provide a Cybercrime Help desk for EU countries' law enforcement units. It will offer operational support to EU countries (e.g. against intrusion, fraud, online child sexual abuse, etc.) and deliver high-level technical, analytical and forensic expertise in EU joint investigations. 

For Detailed Information Please Visit The Official Website of Europol's EC3 

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