Online crime costs rising.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: News, Trends & Analysis - Brief Article

A new survey reveals that online criminals are attacking corporate and government networks more frequently, and it cost businesses an estimated $666 million in 2003.

The survey of 500 computer security executives recently conducted by CSO magazine in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service and the CERT cybersecurity center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that more than 40 percent of those polled said hackers have become the biggest cybersecurity threat to businesses and government networks, compared to 28 percent who feared internal threats such as disgruntled or recently fired employees. More than 40 percent of those polled also said the number of computer crime incidents increased from 2002 to 2003.

The rise in the number of executives who fear hackers marks a shift in corporate attitudes toward security, according to CSO. Historically, businesses have focused on internal threats as their biggest risk--36 percent of...