Former UK home secretary says Government needs to be imaginative to combat cyber threats

FORMER UK HOME SECRETARY David Blunkett has warned that plans to create a new National Crime Agency could undermine the good work done so far by the Metropolitan Police Central Ecrime Unit.

His comment comes after the Government launched its Cyber Security Strategy last week. Speaking at the Cyber Security Summit 2011 today, Blunkett argued that the Government needs to think imaginatively to effectively combat cyber threats.

"It pains me to say it but the government has taken some very imaginative steps in the past 18 months in allocating resources," he said.

"But with the new National Crime Agency there is a danger it will undermine the Met's Police Central eCrime Unit."

The International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA) was formed earlier this year to help foster greater collaboration between cyber crime units, business and the government and Blunkett was at pains to explain the need for improved user education and awareness raising.

"Get Safe Online was very useful and if it's being revamped in the new year then that will be a positive. Unless there's a continuation of pressure to keep it up it erodes," he said.

"There has been a step change in the media, a willingness to admit something has gone wrong ... and if we admit things are wrong we will see them changing."

The ICSPA and security vendor Trend Micro are holding a government-backed roundtable event in Washington, DC today designed to help co-ordinate the international fight against cyber crime.

The event follows the Foreign Office led London Conference on Cyberspace that took place earlier this month and Trend Micro's successful partnership with the FBI and Estonian police in forcing the closure of Ghost Click, the biggest botnet takedown to date. µ