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Terrorist hackers could target London Olympics, Blunkett warns
27 Apr 2009Cyber-criminals could target the London 2012 Olympics, former Home Secretary David Blunkett warns.
Gangs of terrorist hackers, some working from outside Britain, could trigger a "complete meltdown" of computer systems and open up unauthorised access to data.
With tourist and visitor numbers expected to swell when London stages the 2012 Games, hackers could be tempted to target ticketing, transportation, hotel and other bookings, which "would severely disrupt, or even wipe out accommodation reservations", he will tell a security conference in central London tomorrow.
Mr Blunkett said: "A sophisticated attack of this sort would be both economically and commercially devastating but the ability to block it exists and by doing so to demonstrate that Britain is the best and safest place of e-commerce in the world."
He called for the specialist police work to help tackle cyber attacks in the run-up to 2012 to be bolstered.
In modern-day Britain everyone needs to be more aware of the potential threat from digital crime, he argues.
Mr Blunkett said: "The one growing area of commerce and retail in this time of doom and gloom is e-commerce. But growing with it is exponentially worsening online fraud.
"That is why the small but extremely enthusiastic and committed team in the Metropolitan Police E-crime Unit is so essential and why the unit established under the Office of Security and Counter-terrorism - the Olympic Security Directorate - in respect of the Games should be enhanced, better supported and given a much higher profile."
Reader views (8)
Are the Labour spinsters hard at work again?
Looks to me that they issue statements from Ministers on
rotation from a list. Each Minister has to get their name in the media every so often.
Who’s next, Jackie Smith again? What about Jack Straw?
Haven’t heard from him for a few weeks?
- P. C., rainham. essex., 28/04/2009 09:13
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Who needs cyber attacks when ministers and MPs go around leaving sensitive information behind for all and sundry?
- Marianne (Uk National And Tax-Payer), SW France, 28/04/2009 07:54
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Who rattled Blunkett's cage? Why should the white elephant that is the Olympics be any more of a draw to hackers than any other time in the next few years?
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 27/04/2009 15:34
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Interesting this comes out on the day that the Government says it has to monitor all our internet access (in the interest of 'Security') and only a week after 'Chinese Hackers' had infiltrated the US power grid!! (Just prior to Congress debating an advanced 'snooping' bill).
- Jim, London, 27/04/2009 15:29
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Go away Blunkett. You have had your time and you were useless.
- Roger, Surrey, 27/04/2009 14:37
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Hacking the IT will be made much harder if it is NOT outsourced to foreign companies.
It might give the indigenous, unemployed, IT workers a chance to earn money and Tax for the UK again.
- Cap, london, 27/04/2009 13:22
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If pessimists were oranges, Blunkett would be a Jaffa!
- Dave, Cumbria, 27/04/2009 13:19
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Digital crime eh....how enlightning of him to tell us.
- Rosie, watford, 27/04/2009 13:17
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