EU member states must increase collaboration to fight cyber crime

Stuart Sumner, Computing, Friday 1 October 2010 at 14:53:00

The EU has outlined proposals to increase staffing and budget of Enisa

The European Union (EU) has proposed new measures to tackle fibre crime,
these measures will see sanctions increased and police co-operation intensified
accross EU member states.

The measures were presented by commissioners Cecilia Malmstr�m and Neelie
Kroes and include a new mandate that will allow the EU to engage member states
and the private sector in joint activities across Europe. These activities will
include cyber security exercises, public private partnerships for network
resilience, economic analyses and risk assessment and awareness campaigns.

Malmstr�m and Neelie Kroes also said that they want
ENISA
(European Network and Information Security Agency), to be strengthened and
modernised.

One of the proposals is to increase its budget and staffing.

"With the proliferation of malicious software, it is possible to take control
over a large number of computers then steal credit card numbers, find sensitive
information or launch large-scale attacks," said Malmstr�m.

"It is time for us to step up our efforts against cyber crime, also often
used by organised crime. The proposals we are putting forward today are one
important step, as we criminalise the creation and selling of malicious software
and improve European police cooperation," she added.

Neelie Kroes, Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, agreed that
greater collaboration will help reduce the threat.

"Cyber threats know no borders," she began. "Our EU institutions and
governments must work more closely together, to help us understand the nature
and scale of the new cyber-threats.

"We need ENISA's advice and support to help design efficient response
mechanisms to protect our citizens and businesses online," she added.

Dr. Udo Helmbrecht, executive director, ENISA, said: "Securing Europe?s IT
infrastructure is vital to facilitate the smooth functioning of the Internal
Market and to create a culture of Network and Information Security in Europe."

Full story at http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2270817/eu-steps-fight-against-cyber