Cybercrime Threat Analysis: External Attacks Versus Internal Risks

The 2001 Computer Crime and Security Survey from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Computer Security Institute makes it clear that cybercrime is on the rise. But for the first time, according to survey respondents, incidents precipitated by outside hackers outnumbered those originated by internal threats.. . . The 2001 Computer Crime and Security Survey from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Computer Security Institute makes it clear that cybercrime is on the rise. But for the first time, according to survey respondents, incidents precipitated by outside hackers outnumbered those originated by internal threats.

Experts said that trend is likely to continue as increasing numbers of outside intruders mount more attacks on computer networks and PCs.

However, others pointed out that internal perpetrators remain the most difficult threats to fight, as they go straight for a company's crown jewels and often know how to cover their tracks.