The U.K. is “not winning the war on...

EU countries’ failure to prevent cyberattacks from inside their borders against the U.K. The U.K. is too complacent about Internet crime because the “victims are hidden in cyberspace,” Vaz said. “The threat of a cyber attack to the UK is so serious it is marked as a higher threat than a nuclear attack,” he said in a media statement. One key area of concern is international cooperation, the report said (http://xrl.us/bpjvu7). Law enforcement witnesses told the panel that most cybercriminals operate outside U.K. jurisdiction, hampering identification and prosecution, and that it’s difficult for police e-crime units to obtain evidence from countries with which Britain has no established relationship, the report said. Government plans for its cybersecurity program involve better cooperation between the U.K. and international law enforcement agencies, including more joint operations, it said. Another problem is acquiring digital evidence held outside the U.K. Obtaining the evidence though multilateral assistance treaties was described as “extremely slow” and resource-heavy, it said. Lawmakers said they're “alarmed” that retrieving data from sites based abroad is difficult. “We hope that such companies will adopt a more constructive attitude going forward and be willing to engage with public authorities,” the report said. Businesses that reap huge financial rewards from being entrusted with people’s data “should be willing to be open and accountable for the actions they take with it,” it said. It’s disturbing that the government intends to opt out of all or some EU police and criminal justice measures, the committee said. Some of the instruments the U.K. might reject could affect its ability to tackle e-crime, it said. The global scope of cybercrime provides a strong argument that the U.K. should focus on better cooperation among police forces in other nations, the report said. “We cannot understand why the UK has refused to support funding for the new Europol CyberCrime Centre C3 which facilitates vital cross-Europe information sharing.” Members of Parliament also said they're “deeply concerned” that EU partner countries aren’t doing enough to prevent cyberattacks from criminals in their borders on the U.K. Other recommendations included: (1) Allocating more funds and resources to law enforcement agencies to fight e-crime. (2) Improving the way e-crime is reported. (3) Making online services “secure by design” by having new account settings set by default to private. (4) Requiring providers of Web services to explain to users when they set up accounts how to keep their data secure. (5) Requiring the government to draw up a mandatory code of conduct requiring Internet companies to take down material that breaches acceptable behavioral standards. “We welcome the creation of Europol’s C3 cyber crime centre but believe it should be funded from the existing Europol budget,” said a Home Office spokesman by email. “Crime is at record low levels and this government is taking action to tackle the cyber threat” by investing in the development of cutting-edge capabilities, he said. The National Crime Agency will have a new, elite cybercrime unit to target the most serious offenders, he said. “But we know we need to keep pace with criminals as they target the web and so we continue to consider ways to ensure the police and security services have access to communications data.”