Cyber crims hit one in five top firms

More than 20 per cent of 255 organisations in Australia's energy, defence, communications, banking and water sectors reported a ''cyber incident'' last year. Source: Supplied

CYBER criminals stole confidential information and financially defrauded one in five major Australian businesses in 2012, a new government report has revealed.

Released today by Attorney General Mark Dreyfus QC, the 2012 Cyber Crime and Security Survey Report shows more than 20 per cent of 255 organisations in Australia's energy, defence, communications, banking and water sectors reported a ''cyber incident'' last year, despite the majority using security software and firewalls.

The number of incidents may be even higher than indicated by respondents, the report notes, as some attacks may have gone undetected.

The most serious attacks involved the use of ''ransomware'' and ''scareware'' - malicious software that either locks a computer system until a ransom is paid, or launches a hoax virus and demands payment to ''remove'' it.

One scareware attack mentioned in the report displayed fake warning screens claiming to be from the non-existent ''Anti Cyber Crime Department of the Federal Internet Security Agency'', saying the organisation's computers had been ''associated with criminal activity'' to discourage them from reporting the scam to police.

More than half the organisations who reported an attack said they had been deliberately targeted, with 17 per cent saying criminals had stolen ''confidential or proprietary information'' and 10 per cent reporting financial fraud.

In one case, an organisation reported the theft of 15 years' worth of critical business data.

The attacks come despite more than 90 per cent of all respondents saying they employed digital security measures such as anti-virus software, anti-spam filters and firewalls.

Commissioned by Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Australia and conducted by the Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra, the report will be annual.

Mr Dreyfus said Australian businesses needed to be mindful of the risks of operating online.

''The digital economy has opened up myriad opportunities for Australian businesses to deliver goods, provide services and communicate with people more effectively. But with every online opportunity comes the risk of criminal exploitation,'' said Mr Dreyfus.

''Cyber attacks have shifted from being indiscriminate and random to being more coordinated and targeted for financial gain.''

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