National Crime Agency Issues Online Saftey Guidance for Businesses & Consumers

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified hacking is the primary method for infiltrating networks. Through the injection of specialist software, hackers seek to gain unauthorised access to computer networks and systems and take administrative control of these. Successful hacking attacks can compromise data stored on the network of individuals, products, strategic plans, sensitive data and commercial data. This data is often then sold on to fraudsters.

  Hacking also has the potential of putting the operation of systems which control physical infrastructure at risk. DDOS attacks prevent legitimate access to online services by swamping the communications links with a mass of traffic so that users are unable to access the service as it can not handle the volume of incoming traffic. These attacks are usually undertaken through the use of botnets – a group of compromised, controlled computers which involuntarily send messages simultaneously to the computer or server. DDOS attacks prevent legitimate access to online services by swamping the communications links with a mass of traffic so that users are unable to access the service as it can not handle the volume of incoming traffic. For consumers NCA isssued guidelines for Phishing: bogus emails asking for security information and personal details; Webcam manager: where criminals takeover your webcam; File hijacker: where criminals hijack files and hold them to ransom; Keylogging: where criminals record what you type on your keyboard; Screenshot manager: allows criminals take screenshots of your computer screen, and Ad clicker allows a criminal to direct a victim’s computer to click a specific link Share your comments about cyber threats with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center.