The Netherlands loses 1.5% or €8.8bn of its annual national income to crybercrime, according to a new American report quoted in the Volkskrant.

The American Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) says this is a relatively high amount compared with other developed countries, and that Dutch companies are naief when it comes to tackling hackers.

Worldwide, the CSIS estimates that cybercrime costs $400bn, although not all cases are reported. Cybercrime falls into three categories: patent theft, industrial espionage and fraud with credit cards, bank details and personal data.

Attractive

According to the Dutch security service AIVD, the Netherlands is an attractive proposition. ‘We have the infrastructure, the knowhow and as an open trading nation we are easy to approach,’ a spokesman told the Volkskrant.

Most cybercrime takes place in high-tech companies such as Philips and ASML, as well as in the energy and chemical sectors, the AIVD says. ‘Many companies are still ignorant of the threat,’ the organisation says.

According to Dave Merkel of security firm FireEye, 97% of companies are infiltrated by hackers. ‘You cannot keep them out,’ he told the paper. ‘You have to accept that and find ways to protect yourself, for instance by setting up a “honeypot” of false company information.’

Where personal details are concerned, the rule is not to use the same password for more than one account and to ensure your computer is fully secured.