Cyber attacks against the UK are increasing

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The number of cyber attacks launched against the UK has increased significantly with 188 high-level attacks occurring within just the last three months.

The news of the attacks came from Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), who told the Sunday Times that a number of the attacks were sophisticated enough to threaten national security.

State-sponsored hackers from both Russia and China were behind the hacking attempts aimed at obtaining information on UK government policy related to a number of sectors including energy and diplomacy.  These attacks were quite similar in nature to those launched against Hilary Clinton during the US election last year which led to the publication of leaked emails designed to discredit her campaign.

Martin highlighted a step change in the behavior of Russian hackers who have grown more aggressive in recent years, saying: "Part of that step change has been a series of attacks on political institutions, political parties, parliamentary organizations and that's all very well evidenced by our international partners and widely accepted."

Chancellor Phillip Hammond also weighed in on the increased number of cyber attacks and how the NCSC had managed to block 34,550 "potential attacks" on government departments and citizens over the course of the last six months.

In 2017, cyber attacks have become a reality and citizens as well as governments need to bolster their defences to avoid falling victim to them and the havoc they could wreak on our daily lives and security.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Future plc Publication. All rights reserved.

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