Heyrick Bond Gunning, managing director of Salamanca group and who is also the former Head of Kidnap for Ransom at Kroll and set up DHL in Baghdad after the Gulf War - talks to IBTimes UK about cyber crime costs for banks and businesses (Photo: IBTimes UK
Heyrick Bond Gunning, managing director of Salamanca group and who is also the former Head of Kidnap for Ransom at Kroll and set up DHL in Baghdad after the Gulf War - talks to IBTimes UK about cyber crime costs for banks and businesses (Photo: IBTimes UK)

Cyber crime costs British banks and businesses more than triple the government's estimate of £26bn a year, says the managing director of Salamanca Group.

Speaking to IBTimes UK exclusively on camera, Heyrick Bond Gunning, who is also the former Head of Kidnap for Ransom at Kroll and set up DHL in Baghdad after the Gulf War, says that businesses face even more risks of cyber-attacks.

Cyber crime has been named, in the British Government's National Security Strategy, as one of the biggest threats to the country's safety, along with terrorism, war and natural disasters. Yet, recent surveys state that one in five businesses have no protection in place.

Around 98% of cyber-attacks originate from external sources with 97% being avoidable through simple intermediate controls.

Meanwhile, Salamanca Group, the merchant bank and operational risk business, has launched a cyber-security division to help their clients combat the threat of attacks on computer networks.

For the full interview, check out IBTimes TV or the video on the top right-hand side of the page.