GENEVA, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Developing countries must take steps to fight cybercrime to benefit from the boom in e-business, according to a United Nations report published Thursday.

    Cybercrime and poor information security could deter the application of information technologies -- especially business use of the Internet -- that may help developing countries increase commerce, investment, innovation, productivity and efficiency, says the Information Economy Report 2005, released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

    The report argues that the world's poorer nations have to do more than upgrade technology to protect against cybercrime and to meet international standards for the security of computerized information.

    They also have to establish laws that criminalize cyber attacksand enable police to adequately investigate and prosecute such activities, it says.

    The report further recommends that governments set up risk-management policies, regularly review security regulations for information and communication technology, and expand training to ensure that their economies have the human resources needed to establish and maintain effective security programs.

    International technical and policy cooperation between industrialized and developing countries should be encouraged and supported, the report says, since all will benefit from better defences against cybercrime. Enditem