New Zealand to strengthen global links in war on cybercrime

The New Zealand government unveiled measures Thursday to fight cybercrime with plans to bolster police training and to strengthen cooperation with other countries.

"In a changing world where online security is an issue, we need to be on the front foot against cybercrime," said Justice and Communications Minister Amy Adams, who launched the new cybercrime plan as part of the government's Cyber Security Strategy.

Cybercrime was a global issue and online criminals were costing New Zealand hundreds of millions of dollars in damage each year, Adams said in a published speech.

"It's important that we have the right tools, the right information, and the right relationships to combat this type of crime," said Adams.

New initiatives included new training to help police deal more effectively with cybercrime at the frontline and working more effectively with other countries and the private sector to help stop crime from offshore.

The plan built on expansion of the police cybercrime unit and development of its high tech crime group and increased linkages to the Interpol complex in Singapore.

"The Internet is a rapidly evolving tool for criminals. They can use this technology to commit offences such as theft, fraud and the distribution of offensive material in new and faster ways. They can also use technology to inflict damage or disruption to computer systems," Adams said.

"These crimes can have a devastating impact. For example, individuals may lose all their stored data or have their information stolen. For organizations, cybercrime can ruin business reputations and result in major financial losses."

Adams said the Cyber Security Strategy would ensure New Zealanders were safe, resilient and prosperous online as they engaged in the digital economy.

"The threat to New Zealanders and the economy from cyber intrusions is real and growing, and there are serious implications for our economic wellbeing and national security," said Adams.

While New Zealand had yet to experience a significant cyber attack, estimated economic losses last year alone reached 257 million NZ dollars (173.04 million U.S. dollars).

An estimated 56 percent of New Zealand businesses experienced an information technology security attack at least once a year and only 65 percent of businesses were confident that their IT security systems were effective.

A key action in the new strategy is the development of a national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to reduce harm from cyber security incidents and improve New Zealand's ability to deal with attacks.

"New Zealand's key international partners each have a national CERT of some form, and creation of our national CERT brings us into alignment," she said.

About 856,000 New Zealanders were impacted by online crime in 2014, she said.

Last year, the National Cyber Security Centre recorded 147 cyber incidents, and 132 incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2015. Endit