UK’s NCA launches campaign to make internet users cyber-crime savvy

Failure to install anti-virus and security software on new devices such as laptops and mobiles have left almost 50 per cent of users vulnerable to cyber attacks, Press Association reported.

The UK's National Crime Agency plans to launch a new campaign to increase awareness of the dangers from such lapses.

Calling on internet users to be "cyber streetwise" the campaign seeks to boost the adoption of preventative measures against cyber attacks among users. The National Crime Agency's, National Cyber Crime Unit is leading the initiative partnership with a government campaign.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the UK had recorded over 10,000 victims of computer viruses in last year, in attacks mostly preventable with adequate security software.

The new campaign is aimed at improving cyber common sense and cut down on the amount of security breaches that occured from opening malicious emails or using infected USB sticks - both of which were cited as common issues among web users.

Jamie Saunders, the director of the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said the internet was a great place to explore the world and do business, and the majority of people would not experience any problems.

However, for the minority who left themselves unprotected, not downloading and updating their security software could be very costly.

The NCA said users need take a number of steps to improve web security including: installation of security software, not opening emails from unknown sources, using USB sticks and CDs with caution, and buying software only from legitimate sources, Mail Online reported.

The year 2014 had seen several high-profile cyber security issues, including the Heartbleed bug that affected the encryption and protection of personal data online, as also the hacking of eBay's servers that saw passwords and user names compromised.

These incidents led to increased focus on web security, particularly, with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's continued calls for users to take necessary steps to protect data against government snooping, as also hackers.

Statistics, had shown that almost 40 per cent of adults rarely installed or updated the security software on new devices, leaving them at risk. According to the government the initiative had been prompted by these sort of statistics.

According to Memeber of Parliament Karen Bradley, the internet had radically changed the way people worked and socialised, but cyber crime now posed a serious threat to the UK, and the government had taken action to transform the way it responded.