The IT security is really threatened by the fear of cyberterror.

According to Bruce Schneier who was interviewed by ZDNET UK, the clame of the officials that terrorists pose a serious danger to computer networks is actually redirecting the attention away from the threat faced from criminals.

“I think that the terrorist threat is overhyped, and the criminal threat is underhyped,” Schneier said Tuesday. “I hear people talk about the risks to critical infrastructure from cyberterrorism, but the risks come primarily from criminals. It’s just criminals at the moment aren’t as ‘sexy’ as terrorists.”

Schneier conclusion came after the latest security report from SANS Institute, released in London. Back then, Roger Cummings, the director of the U.K. National Infrastructure Security Coordination Center, warned that the threat to the U.K.’s critical infrastructure are the foreign governments. “Foreign states are probing the (critical infrastructure) for information”.

“We should not ignore criminals, and I think we’re underspending on crime. If you look at ID theft and extortion–it still goes on. Criminals are after money. There is definitely a marketplace for vulnerabilities, exploits and old computers. It’s a bad development, but there are definitely conduits between hackers and criminals,” Schneier said.