WEB AND MOBILE FRAUD
UK cyber defences have denied 600 attacks in a year
The UK’s cyber shield has deflected hundreds of potential attacks in the last 12 months, according to a new report.
The £1.9 billion strategy behind the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has defended the UK against more than 600 cyber attacks in the past year, bringing the total number to almost 1,800 since the Centre’s launch back in 2016.
These figures are contained in the NCSC’s third Annual Review, which also sets out the various ways in which the organisation has been protecting the public.
Over the period of the review, the NCSC has dealt with 658 incidents. A significant number of those incidents continue to emanate from hostile nation states.
In the most wide-ranging review yet produced by the NCSC, which is a part of GCHQ, significant disclosures include The pioneering Operation Haulster, which automatically flagged fraudulent intention against more than one million stolen credit cards, as a direct result protecting hundreds of thousands of people from financial loss and the introduction of a machine to improve the efficiency of information sharing around threats to the UK, in turn speeding up the process from a matter of hours to just seconds.
A breakdown of the sectors which are given the most support from the NCSC’s incident management team, shows Government heading the list, followed by academia, IT, managed service providers and health and transport.
Oliver Dowden, minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “We’ve made great progress on making the UK safer since launching our world-leading £1.9 billion Cyber Security Strategy in 2015. Establishing the NCSC was a key part of this and has played a central role in tackling online threats posed by criminals, hacktivists and hostile nation states.
As the Cabinet Office minister responsible for resilience against cyber attacks and protecting our Critical National Infrastructure, I very much welcome the achievements laid out in this Annual Review which show that we’re making the UK a more challenging place for our cyber adversaries to operate in.”
NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin said: “This review gives a real insight into the breadth of the outstanding work being done by the NCSC and underlines why we’re a world leader in cyber security. From handling more than 600 incidents – many from hostile nation states – through to equipping the public with the tools they need to stay safe online, we’re employing our expertise on a number of fronts. I’m proud to lead this organisation and optimistic that, in a constantly evolving landscape, we can help make this the safest country in which to live and work online.”
