Breaches of computer security cost British companies 拢1.25 billion
in each of the past two years, the Department of Trade and Industry estimates
from a survey of 832 companies carried out with the National Computing Centre
and ICL.
About 拢750 million was lost through computer failures caused
by physical problems, such as theft, fire, lightning, flood and machine
breakdown. The rest was the result of 鈥榣ogical鈥� problems, including viruses,
hackers, and 鈥榣ogic bombs鈥� set by disgruntled staff to create havoc.
The DTI notes that theft of computers has doubled since its last survey
in 1991, probably due to the increased number of offices running on PCs
rather than mainframes. 鈥楾his is a problem of the 1990s,鈥� says Nigel Banister
of the NCC, who also comments that increased teleworking calls for better
security measures.
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Viruses were the commonest form of 鈥榣ogical鈥� security breach, affecting
34 per cent of respondents in the past two years. Hacking accounted for
only 2.5 per cent of such breaches. The biggest reported fraud was worth
拢1.2 million, at an insurance company.
