EU to investigate alerts system for Internet security breaches.

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The European Commission has revealed plans to investigate sending alerts for Internet security breaches as part of its attempt to fight cybercrime and hackers.

According to the commission, people using the Internet and

other forms of electronic communication are not spending enough money on protecting systems against virus attacks, spam, identity theft and other malicious actions. It said many hackers now carry out criminal activities motivated by profit, whereas in the past they have shown a desire to demonstrate their skills.

The commission claimed that 5-13% of IT spending is directed towards protecting networks and information, a figure it called 'alarmingly low'. It said unprecedented security issues are expected to emerge as networks and systems grow and become more and more complex and urged users to protect and preserve their own security.

The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), an EU body established last year, will collect information across the 25-nation bloc EU, about communications security breaches, to form a 'best practice' response. The commission confirmed ENISA will be asked to examine the potential of a multilingual information sharing and alert system.

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