Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to deter and punish the perpetrators of cyber crime attacking UK businesses from abroad.

Combating cyber crime is a core part of the National Cyber Security Strategy,
which is underpinned by the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) and £860
million of investment over five years. The Government has so far committed £70
million of NCSP funding to build law enforcement capabilities to tackle cyber
crime. This includes the establishment of the National Cyber Crime Unit in the
National Crime Agency (NCA), and cyber teams within each of the Regional
Organised Crime Units across England and Wales.

Almost every cyber crime investigation has an international element and as a
result the NCA has prioritised building partnerships with key international
partners to better tackle this common cyber threat. To this end, and as a
result of NCSP investment, the NCA has deployed a number of International
Liaison Officers overseas. The NCA, EU and other international partners (US,
New Zealand, Australia and Canada) have agreed common threats and goals which
are informing the development of a model for proactive global joint cyber
investigations. An example of this approach is the recent US-led investigation
into a serious malware threat which saw the UK, under Project TOVAR, play a key
role in the disruption of criminal infrastructure and prevention messaging to
UK to businesses and the public. Project DISPUTED is an NCA-led investigation
which targets the Shylock malware variant, a sophisticated system employed by
criminals to steal online banking credentials, targeting the UK banking sector
in particular. This is the first project of its kind for a UK law enforcement
agency and involves the NCA bringing together partners from across law
enforcementand the private sector, including the FBI, Europol and others.