NCSC tackles record number of cyber incidents as Russian ransomware attacks surge
Nearly 20 per cent of attacks were Covid-related
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has observed a record number of cyber incidents in the UK over the last 12 months, as threat actors increasingly targeted COVID vaccine research, distribution and supply chains.
In its 2021 Annual Review, the cyber security agency said it tackled 777 incidents between September 2020 and the end of August 2021, up from 723 a year earlier.
Nearly a fifth of the organisations supported by NCSC during this period were linked to the health sector and vaccines.
In May, the NCSC said it had recorded a massive 15-fold increase in the removal of online frauds in 2020 compared with 2019, following a surge in coronavirus and NHS-themed cyber crime since the start of the pandemic.
Dan Davies, CTO at Maintel, said:
"Reports of organisations researching the Covid vaccine being one of the main targets of cyber-attacks last year is unsurprising. However, it should act as a reminder that organisations operating in the healthcare sector, especially those with national significance, face an uphill battle to keep their highly sensitive data secure. Criminals and state-backed groups alike are continuing to use the pandemic as a vehicle for cyber-attacks.
"Outdated legacy systems that many healthcare organisations operate leave malicious actors with opportunities to bypass their security. During a time when the vaccine rollout remains critical, ensuring this can continue unimpeded is a must. Modernising IT infrastructure must be a priority if similar attacks are to be avoided."
The NCSC says it increased its efforts to protect healthcare in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
Since then, the agency has channelled additional resources towards organisations involved in the vaccine rollout by providing the necessary cyber security tools and intelligence to enable them respond to threats.
The NCSC has extended its Protective Domain Name System (PDNS) service to over 1,000 additional organisations within the Health and Social Care sector. It is now providing a range of services, including the Early Warning Service, to businesses, as well as cyber security advice to the education sector, such as the University of Oxford.
The University said it was able to use the NCSC's services to protect itself from an attempted ransomware attack, with the potential to cause significant disruption, earlier this year.
The 2021 Annual Review also reveals NCSC's role in protecting the public from scams.
This year, the agency's Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) received about 6 million reports of malicious content, leading to the removal of more than 53,000 scams and 96,500 URLs.
NCSC introduced SERS in 2020, as part of its Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme. Last year, SERS received nearly 4 million reports of suspect emails from members of the public, leading to the removal of nearly 26,000 scams that were not previously identified by the Takedown Service.
The 2021 Annual Review also found that a number of the cyber incidents over the past 12 months were linked to hostile states, including Russia and China. This included a global espionage campaign - the SolarWinds breach - which mostly targeted US organisations, but also affected UK firms.
The SolarWinds campaign has been blamed on Russian threat groups and is regarded as 'one of the most serious cyber intrusions of recent times,' the NCSC said in its report.
Commenting on China, the report says the Asian giant is a 'highly sophisticated' operator in cyber space, with a proven interest in the UK's commercial secrets.
'How China evolves in the next decade will probably be the single biggest driver of the UK's future cyber security,' it says.
Responding to the NCSC's annual review, Lindy Cameron, CEO of the NCSC, noted: "I'm proud of the way the NCSC has responded to what has been another hugely challenging year for the country as we all continue to navigate our way through the pandemic.
"Undoubtedly there are challenges ahead, but the upcoming National Cyber Strategy, combined with the continued engagement from businesses and the public, provides a solid foundation for us to continue reducing the impact of online threats."