Speaking at Compsec, the UK's main IT security conference, Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, chair of defence technology agency Qinetiq, said advances in networking technology had raised new headaches over IT security and how to improve it.

Neville-Jones, who was a recent chair of the government's Joint Intelligence Committee, said that rising fears over cybercrime increased the likelihood of government intervention in a bid to bolster trust in e-business.

"I am not advocating tighter regulation," she said, arguing that better dialogue between security specialists, lawyers and legislators would lead to more resilient systems and less intrusive legislation.

Neville-Jones added that the main underlying issue is to ensure trust in future IT systems. "All freedom depends on trust," she said. "That is a central feature of a democracy."

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