Nearly all Brits may have been victims of cyber crime with some personal details for sale on the dark web, cops claim
Police warned hackers also target businesses and infrastructure, such as the 'WannaCry' attack on the NHS this year
NEARLY everyone in the country will have been a victim of cyber crime, police experts say.
And some of their personal details will be for sale on the dark web.
The revelation comes as cyber attacks, including some backed by foreign governments, soar.
Police warned hackers also target businesses and infrastructure, such as the “WannaCry” attack on the NHS this year.
Oliver Gower, head of the National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “There is a tendency to think this threat is some far away abstract thing.
Hacking, data theft and ransomware are the modern burglary, theft, extortion or criminal damage.
For several years we have said Russian-speaking nations are our No1 cyber crime threat.
“With cyber criminal capability available to the highest bidder, it's inevitable hostile states will explore its possibilities.”
But of the estimated two million cyber-dependent crimes in the past 12 months, only about 30,000 have been reported, so authorities do not have a full understanding of the threat.
Chief Constable Peter Goodman, leader of cyber crime at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “I can guarantee almost everybody in this country has had some sort of data breach against them.
“Some of their personal data is being held on the dark web and being traded. The industry should be taking security into account more when they design and build products.”
