Contemporary Cybernetics

At the Corporate Computer Security '89 Conference, held in London, UK, earlier this year there was a plea for a computer security code of practice to curb increasing industrial sabotage. In the UK such a code is to be introduced after increasing concern about system sabotage through industrial espionage. At this computer industry conference cases of such espionage by intelligence services, vandals, disenchanted employees and terrorist groups were cited. An estimate of the cost of computer failures and sabotage has been made by the accountants Coopers and Lybrand who say that these activities are costing companies up to a billion pounds a year.