UK companies lost a total of £2.45bn to e-crime according to new figures from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU).
The organisation surveyed 200 companies and 178 of respondents said they had been victims of some form of cybercrime. 90 per cent of those 178 companies said some form of intrusion had taken place, while 89 per cent claimed data had be stolen.
Detective Superintendent Mick Deats, Deputy Head of the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit said that the past year saw "a sustained increase in the professionalism of cybercriminals."
"Billions of pounds are being lost to the UK economy through hi-tech crime, but on a positive note, we should acknowledge the increased effort put in by companies to protect themselves and their customers from this threat," he added.
But progress could still be hindered by other companies not coming forward to report crime. According to the survey, only 28 per cent of organisations that had experienced cybercrime in 2004 had involved the police.
Details of the survey can be found here.
As reported in SC Magazine here, the NHTCU launched a new set of guidelines to help small businesses protect themselves against computer crime.
