The incidence of electronic fraud is growing. Electronic fraud can take the form of fake credit card transactions, identity theft, commercial hacking, industrial espionage and infiltration of cyberspace by organised crime rings. In Australia and internationally, the expansion of e-commerce through the Internet has made it essential for businesses to provide adequate online security using digital signatures and public key infrastructure authentication. Financial institutions have established trusted security centres such as Identrus to verify businesses, issue digital certificates and assume the identity risk. Most corporations have experienced security breaches in their computer systems, the majority perpetrated by employees or ex-employees.
Security breaches can also occur through the Internet.
Firewall software is generally used to prevent unauthorised entry to different areas of a computer network, along with intrusion detection software which monitors user activity and alerts systems personnel to any unusual data entry or movement patterns. The heightened level of awareness of criminal activity facilitated by the internet must be accompanied by increased cooperation between the private and public sectors in identifying and dealing with such threats. In order to guard against unauthorised access into electronic files, Hay suggests the two best lines of defence are ethical hacking and social engineering. He explains the differences between these forms of cyber crime fighting and the ease with which it can be possible to obtain secure information. He notes the lack of funds invested into information technology security and warns of the need to be more creative in establishing email addresses and passwords.