The UK’s cybersecurity chief, Richard Horne, is warning that the country is underestimating the severity of the online threat it faces from hostile states and criminal gangs. In his first major speech as the head of GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, Horne will point to a trebling of “severe” incidents amid Russian aggression and China’s highly sophisticated digital operations.
Horne will highlight the increasing frequency, sophistication, and intensity of hostile cyber activity in UK cyberspace, emphasizing the need to improve the defence and resilience of critical infrastructure, supply chains, the public sector, and the wider economy. The NCSC’s annual review shows a significant increase in serious cyber incidents over the past year, with 12 attacks at the top end of the scale and a trebling from the previous year.
The NCSC warns that there is no room for complacency when it comes to state-led threats or cybercriminal activities. Ransomware attacks, originating mainly from Russia and former Soviet Union countries, are a significant concern, with criminal gangs paralyzing IT systems and demanding ransom payments.
Horne stresses the human costs of cyber-attacks, citing recent incidents against high-profile UK targets such as the British Library and Synnovis. The NCSC report also highlights the increasing cyber capabilities of countries like China, Iran, and North Korea, with state-sponsored groups targeting critical infrastructure, cryptocurrency, and defense data.
Experts are urging both public and private sector organizations in the UK to wake up to the scale of the cyber threat facing the country, as the government sounds the alarm to ensure that measures are in place to stay ahead of adversaries. The warning is directed at sectors such as academia, manufacturing, IT, legal, charities, and construction, which are the top sectors reporting ransomware activity in the UK.
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