Cyber attacks on the rise

Cyber security attacks on business are on the rise, and the culprits appear to be competitors seeking commercial information.

And while many companies reported cyber security incidents, others didn't, raising concerns they don't know what's really happening on their networks.

Australia's national Computer Emergency Response Team says 56 per cent of companies it has surveyed reported one or more cyber security attacks in the past year.

Forty-four per cent reported no incidents. But CERT, part of the Attorney-General's Department, says in a new report that anecdotal evidence indicates some businesses were unaware of the full scope of unauthorised activity on their networks.

"Most of the incidents were in the form of targeted emails, followed by virus or worm infection and trojan or rootkit malware," CERT said.

"This is consistent with the finding that respondents viewed cyber security incidents to be targeted at their organisation, rather than random or indiscriminate."

Attorney-General George Brandis said the most commonly reported was what's called "spear phishing", sending emails to specific individuals, often using personal information to create credibility. Clicking on links will download spyware, he said in a statements.

The main motivation is considered to be competitors seeking commercial advantage.

CERT's survey was directed at big business with a quarter of the 135 respondents in the defence industry sector.

All businesses used varying levels of network security but CERT found potential problems.

More than 60 per cent think their IT staff, chief executive and directors need to improve security skills and practices.

Forty-seven per cent use the now superseded Windows XP operating system and almost all were aware that Microsoft no longer provided technical support after April 8.

But 13 per cent had no plans to move to another operating system and eight per cent didn't know.