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'Everyone is spying on everyone' - Expert's warning over increase in cyber attacks

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Feb 2019, 8:09AM
The GCSB has reported a 10 per cent increase in cyber attack from foreign governments. Photo / Getty Images

'Everyone is spying on everyone' - Expert's warning over increase in cyber attacks

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Feb 2019, 8:09AM

It might not just be China we have to worry about when it comes to our national cybersecurity.

The GCSB has reported a 10 per cent increase in cyber attack from foreign governments.

The attacks were used to try and undermine democracy, generate revenue, and steal intellectual property

However, Information Security Forum chairman, Lech Janczewski, told Mike Hosking we need to recognise it's not just governments seeking information from other countries.

"The point is that everybody is spying on everybody else so there is a number of classes if those people who are launching those attacks."

"Of course, at the top are the government agencies and every country is launching that sort of activity."

"Then there are businesses that are interested in getting trade secrets from the oppositions.

"Then there are experienced hackers who would like to get some wealth out of the attacks."

He said inexperienced hackers also download attacking tools and can end up doing a lot of damage.

Janczewski says private citizens sometimes perform cyber attacks for their own personal wealth.

"Manyof those attacks may be launched by a private citizen, so if Joe Bloggs in any country is unhappy with the other government they launch a quite effective attack."

He said there is no clear winner but the main point is that these incidents are becoming more common.

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