The cost of protecting ourselves against cybercrime can far outweigh the cost of the threat itself, according to a new study led by computer scientists at The University of Cambridge.

At the behest of the UK Ministry of Defence, the research team compiled the first estimate of direct, indirect and defence costs of different types of cybercrime.

The report’s authors, which included experts from Cambridge University, working with colleagues in Germany, the Netherlands, the USA and UK, concluded that Governments should spend less trying to anticipate online crime, and more trying to actively pursue and prosecute its perpetrators.

“Advances in information technology are moving many social and economic interactions, such as fraud or forgery, from the physical worlds to cyberspace,” said lead author Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering at the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory.

“As countries scramble to invest in security to minimise cyber-risks, governments want …