Hostile states, including China, Iran, and Russia, are responsible for the majority of nationally significant cyber attacks targeting Britain, the head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is set to reveal.
Dr Richard Horne will address the annual CyberUK conference in Glasgow on Wednesday, highlighting how rapid technological advancements and escalating international tensions are fostering 'what feels like tumultuous uncertainty' for the nation.
Businesses must be prepared to defend themselves against cyber incursions without resorting to ransom payments, Dr Horne is expected to warn. He will caution that the UK could face attacks 'at scale' should it become embroiled in an international conflict.
The NCSC, an arm of GCHQ, currently manages approximately four nationally significant incidents each week. While these figures remain 'fairly steady,' Dr Horne will underscore that most originate from hostile state actors such as China, Iran, and Russia.
'We know that China’s intelligence and military agencies now display an eye-watering level of sophistication in their cyber operations,' he is expected to say. 'We know that Iran is almost certainly using cyber activity to support the repression of British individuals on our streets who are seen as a threat to the regime. And we know that Russia is taking the cyber lessons it has learnt in a theatre of war and is moving them beyond the battlefield.'
Dr Horne will tell the conference that businesses should be able to protect themselves against hacks and other cyber attacks without needing to pay ransoms to recover. 'Were we to be in, or near, a conflict situation, the UK would likely face hacktivist attacks at scale, with similar effects and sophistication to the ransomware attacks we see today, but no option to pay a ransom to help recover,' he will say.
