The UK Home Office has started the first stage of a £4m information security awareness campaign, as part of its efforts to make businesses and consumers aware of the threat posed by online crime.
With the initial stage of the campaign set to be launched in the autumn 2013, the scheme will go together with other established information security initiatives including Get Safe Online as part of the government’s National Cyber Security Programme.
UK Security Minister James Brokenshire said that the digitisation of the UK economy has made lives easier and created huge opportunities, but it has also created individual security risks as well.
"If we are to meet these new challenges it’s essential we step up our efforts to stay safe online," Brokenshire said.
"The threat of cybercrime is real and the criminals involved are organised and driven by profit."
The campaign strategy and the structure of any potential agency line-up would depend on submissions, the Home Office reported.
According to the UK’s National Fraud Authority (NFA) minor enhancements to online behaviour among citizens and small businesses could avoid major losses online and this can be prevented by adopting simple steps including not sharing passwords.
"By making small changes, British businesses can remain competitive in the global economy and consumers can have greater confidence using the internet," Brokenshire said.
The new campaign forms part of a £650m programme on the cyber crime issue and follows a government survey which found that cybercrime costs the UK economy between £18bn and £27bn per year.
The campaign will also to the remove misconception that small- and medium-sized businesses are immune from these attacks as they’re very small to draw hacker notice.
