China and Russia posing ‘significant threat’ to UK after record surge in online attacks
Warning to UK following spike in online attacks
- The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reported a record 50 per cent increase in "highly significant" online attacks over the past year, primarily attributed to Chinese and Russian hackers.
- Major British companies, including Marks and Spencer, Co-op, and Jaguar Land Rover, have been impacted by these cyberattacks.
- Hostile states such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are identified as significant threats, with their activities ranging from ransomware and intelligence gathering to revenue generation and targeting critical infrastructure.
- The NCSC highlighted that adversaries are increasingly combining cyber and physical methods, and are utilising artificial intelligence to enhance the potency and evasiveness of their attacks.
- NCSC chief Richard Horne urged UK firms to urgently bolster their cyber security measures, warning that the gap between the escalating threat and the nation's collective resilience continues to widen.