This year's London Olympics faces clear dangers from cyber-terrorists and criminals, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has warned.

Speaking during a visit to Estonia, Maude said he was well aware of the "the dark side of the internet", and that precautions had already been put in place, in terms of cyber-defence, to help prevent the online disruption of the Games.

He noted: "The Beijing Olympics saw 12 million cyber security incidents during their Olympics."

"We have rightly been preparing for some time - a dedicated unit will help guard the London Olympics against cyber attack - we are determined to have a safe and secure Games."

He observed that in general, the UK is becoming increasingly targeted by foreign intelligence agencies. As is every nation, with an ex-FBI security expert recently stating that America is under constant threat from at least half a dozen foreign nations, scanning its infrastructure for weak points.

Maude added: "High-end cyber security solutions that were used 18 months ago by a limited number of organisations to protect their networks may already be out in the open marketplace - giving cyber criminals the knowledge to get round these protective measures.

"Our responses have to be fast and flexible. What works one day is unlikely to work a matter of months or even weeks later."

It's likely to be the case that soon enough, cyber-terrorism will be a bigger threat to nations than "traditional" terrorism.

Source: The Register