Phishing emails could be cut by 50 per cent in the UK

Emails coded in the UK for phishing purposes have the potential to be reduced by half, should firms respond to advice from the National Crime Agency.

The NCA, with the police and  partners from the public sector and the cyber security industry, has managed to find 5,531 compromises across servers in the UK that allow cyber criminals to send spam emails, install phishing sites to access sensitive data, and attack servers or websites.

The organisation has produced tailor-made intelligence reports for web service providers and hosting firms, drawing from data provided by the Shadowserver Foundation and the UK’s Computer Emergency Response Team. Officers from 10 Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) will issue the reports.

Deputy Chief Constable Peter Goodman, an expert in cyber crime, commented:

“Across the country, specialist cyber investigation teams in our ROCUs have developed the capability to take on cyber criminals and put a stop to their activity.

“We want the public to have confidence in the digital space. We can give them that confidence by relentlessly targeting those who use the internet to commit crime.”

UK firms need to be more aware of the effect that phishing and other forms of cyber crime can have on their operations. If they create and fill cyber security jobs, they will have somebody in the team who is capable of responding to and acting on alerts that could save them a lot of trouble in the long run.