National Computer Security Survey

NATIONAL COMPUTER SECURITY SURVEY ANNOUNCED

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced plans to conduct the first-ever national survey to measure the prevalence and impact of cybercrime on businesses within the United States. The survey, conducted by DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security Division, will estimate the number of cyber attacks, frauds and thefts of information and the resulting losses during 2005.

The survey, which will start this month and will be completed by the end of the year, will provide critical information for businesses, industry, government and other users to make more informed decisions about how to target resources to fight cybercrime. The comprehensive survey will collect information from a wide range of industry sectors about:

• The nature and extent of computer security incidents.
• The monetary costs and other consequences of these occurrences.
• Incident details, such as types of offenders and reporting to authorities.
• Computer security measures various firms use.

Cyber threats are a national issue that can be adequately addressed only through cooperation among private firms, and federal, state and local agencies. The President's National Strategy for Securing Cyberspace calls for DOJ to develop better data about victims of cybercrime and to track future changes.

Currently no national baseline measure exists on the extent of cybercrime. The survey data will enable the federal government to assess what needs to be done to reduce computer security vulnerabilities and will provide the first official national statistics on the extent and consequences of cybercrime among the country's 5.3 million firms with salaried employees.

Almost three-fourths of businesses responding to a BJS pilot survey said they had been victimized by cybercrime during 2001. Computer virus infections were the most common form of attack (64 percent), followed by denial of service incidents (25 percent) and vandalism or sabotage (19 percent). Among the companies that detected a computer virus, less than 6 percent said they notified a law enforcement agency. Additional information about the new survey can be found at: https://bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=413

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises five component bureaus and an office: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at ojp.gov.

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