Security news
Security news20 October 2005
Sophos welcomes UK network of specialist cybercrime prosecutors
 |
| Specialist cybercrime prosecutors may be more successful at putting criminals behind bars. |
Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses, spyware and spam, has welcomed news that the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has established a network of lawyers to specifically tackle high-tech crime involving child pornography, computer hacking and identity fraud.
Details of the network were given at a one-day conference at the British Library in London as part of the organization's Hi-Tech Crime Strategy.
Sophos believes that the technical expertise of the network of 110 barristers will better equip the courts to deal with such cases, by preventing defendants from leaning on technology as a get-out clause or to bamboozle the jury.
"The CPS proposals will act as a deterrent to internet criminals and will help ensure these bad guys get the verdict and sentence they deserve," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "This move is good news for businesses across the UK, but there is still room for improvement when dealing with high-tech crime. The legal system must now focus on drawing up a formal framework for reporting internet security issues such as spyware and Trojan horse attacks."
Sophos concedes that although the National High-Tech Crime Unit has had some successes in fighting computer crime, it does not have the resources to receive reports of attacks and infections and, as a result, some cyber criminals are escaping justice.
Sophos strongly recommends that all companies actively protect themselves from the attacks of cyber criminals with a consolidated solution which defends against viruses, spyware, spam and Trojans; and that users do not open or reply to unsolicited emails.
