Ransomware attacks are ‘the major cyber threat’ facing UK, security chief warns

Ransomware attacks are the major cyber threat facing the UK, the head of Britain’s cybersecurity agency warned tonight

Hackers hijacking computer systems and demanding cash to release them has featured in a string of high-profile cyber attacks in recent years, including the 2017 web assault on the NHS.

National Cyber Security Centre chief executive Lindy Cameron, said her spooks “support victims of ransomware every day”.

She believed it was “vital” to bolster defences to stop attacks hitting their targets, as she said ransomware cyber criminals were a bigger threat to national security than state-sponsored agents.

Giving the annual security lecture to the Royal United Services Institute think tank, she warned of the “cumulative effect” of the UK failing to manage ongoing cybercrime and, in particular, the increasing threat from ransomware attacks.

“Ransomware has historically been the preserve of high-end cybercrime groups with access to advanced technical skills and capabilities based in overseas jurisdictions who turn a blind eye, or otherwise fail to act, to pursue these groups,” she said.

“But the ecosystem is evolving through Ransomware as a Service, (RaaS); the business model where ransomware variants and lists of targets, credentials and other tools useful for ransomware deployment are available off the shelf for a one-off payment or a share of the profits.

“As the business model has become more and more successful, with these groups securing significant ransom payments from large profitable businesses who cannot afford to lose their data to encryption or to suffer the down time while their services are offline, the market for ransomware has become increasingly professional.”

The NCSC boss said “international and diplomatic efforts need to be coordinated to stop these groups acting with impunity”.

She demanded stiff sentences for culprits, highlighting the need for “the strongest criminal justice outcomes for those we apprehend”.

Ms Cameron feared British think tanks could become targets for foreign espionage groups as they seek to gain “strategic insights into Government policy, trade agreements and commercially sensitive information”.