Terrorist hackers could target London Olympics, Blunkett warns

12 April 2012

Cyber-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."

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