The head of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has warned that the volume and complexity of cybercrime is evolving at a rapid pace, but praised an initiative in Coventry to tackle the problem.

Detective Superintendent Pete O’Doherty was speaking ahead of an information security event at Coventry University tomorrow (Friday 23rd May) which has been organised in conjunction with Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police.

Some of the UK’s leading figures in cybercrime prevention are set to come together for the conference and workshop, which will be opened by Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Ron Ball. The event is aimed at anyone with an interest in cyber security issues, and will be attended by educators, businesses and authorities.

Supt. O’Doherty said:

“This is the kind of initiative which in the long run will help us win the battle against cybercriminals. From what I see day in day out, cybercrime is rapidly increasing, both in volume and in complexity. It is evolving at a rapid pace.

“Cyber fraud has been described as the modern-day burglary because you don’t have to be in someone’s home to steal from them. Fraudsters can strike from anywhere in the world. It’s a global threat.”

He added that up to 70 per cent of frauds can be cyber-enabled compared to around 40 per cent five or so years ago.

During the conference and workshop, Warwickshire’s deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Eric Wood will chair a ‘Question Time’-style debate alongside David Booth, the former GCHQ head of information risk management, Dr Emma Philpott, founder of the Malvern Cyber Security Cluster, and John Unsworth, head of intelligence at the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. They will be supported by key note speaker and cybersecurity expert Tony Dyhouse.

The event’s technology workshops – hosted in the ethical hacking lab in Coventry University’s Engineering and Computing Building – will simulate real-time cybersecurity challenges to help improve awareness of risk, ability to spot a computer attack and knowledge of how to prevent it.

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