, Australian businesses and industries that provide essential services such as energy, defence, communications, banking and finance, and water, are now investing more heavily in tighter security/XINHUA-File

The 2012 Cyber Crime and Security Survey Report, which will establish baseline information on cyber attacks, was launched Monday by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

According to the new national survey results from more than 250 major businesses, Australian businesses and industries that provide essential services such as energy, defence, communications, banking and finance, and water, are now investing more heavily in tighter security.

The most serious attacks involved the use of malicious software including “ransomware” and “scareware”, trojan or rootkit malware, theft or breach of confidential information and denial-of-service attacks. A third of attacks involved the theft of notebooks, tablets or mobile devices.

“Cyber attacks have shifted from being indiscriminate and random to being more coordinated and targeted for financial gain. Most attacks occur from outside the business, although it appears internal risks are also significant,” Dreyfus said in the statement.

According to Mark Dreyfus, the survey, commissioned by Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Australia and conducted by the Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra, will be annual.

In January, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that CERT Australia will soon be part of the new Australian Cyber Security Centre, which will develop a comprehensive understanding of the cyber threat to Australian government networks and systems of national interest.