§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her most recent annual estimate is of the cost to UK business of virus infection of business computers and networks. [136428]
§ Mr. TimmsThe DTI works with business to produce a biennial survey of Information Security Breaches, the latest of which was published in April 2002. The Survey is intended to raise awareness of the importance of effective information security management. The 2002 Survey did not set out to survey or measure the costs of specific security breaches such as virus infections, but surveyed the costs of all forms of information security breach. Based on the information gathered, the figures indicated that serious security incidents cost on average some £30, 000 per incident in 2001. The survey does not contain a figure for the total number of incidents. Work on the 2004 Survey is under way, and the results will be published in April 2004.