SOFIA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian vice interior minister Milko Berner on Monday said responding to cybercrime required a comprehensive cross-border integration of efforts by public, private and non-governmental actors.
"Cybercrime is identified as one of the most serious global and anonymous threats and the fastest growing sphere of cross-border crime," Berner said, addressing the fourth South East European Regional Forum on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime.
The implementation of effective policies and international cooperation at a high level were needed to adequately respond to this threat, Berner told the event, which was attended by more than 300 cyber security experts and law enforcement officials from over 20 countries.
"The cross-border nature of this criminal activity requires full integration of the efforts of the government, public, private and NGO sectors of the countries to achieve a safe Internet," Berner said.
The effective prevention and counteraction to cybercrime was also related to defining and analyzing the key security challenges in cyberspace, he added.
The ultimate goal would be achieved through a correct and accurate assessment of the existing challenges and the ability to predict emerging threats, he said.
"This is inevitably related to the development and use of advanced technologies and the availability of highly skilled professionals," Berner said.
The European Commission recently said that last year 80 percent of European companies experienced at least one cybersecurity incident, and the economic impact of cybercrime has risen five-fold over the past four years alone.
