The head of the UK's cyber police unit has warned that tech managers could become victims of kidnappers and organised crime.

Len Hynds, from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), has told Computing magazine that computer bosses could be vulnerable to attack in the same way as bank managers were targeted in the past.

Mr Hynds said that the NHTCU had already seen cases of criminal gangs blackmailing companies after discovering weaknesses in their computer systems.

The next step could well be physical risk to technology managers, he said

Tech recruits

"Organised criminals will intimidate people with access to information," he told Computing.

He warned companies to improve recruitment and to be careful about the people they employed in positions with access to computer data.

Criminal gangs were also likely to start hiring more people with technological know-how as computers increasingly become an important tool in crime, he said.

Computer forensic firm Datasec conducts investigations of criminal or industrial computer crime and has had cases in which individuals within organisations have been targeted for their knowledge about sensitive data.

Distributed responsibility

Managing director Adrian Reid believes employees with responsibility for technology should exercise caution when talking about their work.

"If someone was going to target the IT manager, he or she will find out as much about that individual as they can," he said.

"Employees in sensitive areas need to be careful about what they say about themselves and what information about them is in the public arena," he said.

Nearly three-quarters of UK companies have sensitive data on their computer networks and they too must do more to make sure that one person does not have sole responsibility for such information.

"Companies should consider distributing responsibilities," said Mr Reid. "It is harder to corrupt a group of people than it is one individual."