UK's NCSC says it's seeing increased hostile activity in cyberspace

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has revealed a three-fold increase in cyberattacks in the UK compared to last year. The NCSC is part of the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), an intelligence, security and cyber agency. 

Sky News reports that Richard Horne, the head of the NCSC, will outline the agency's findings in a new report set to be unveiled in London. The NCSC says organizations must have safeguards to protect against attacks bolstered by AI. 

The agency claims the attacks are getting more complex and demand increased defensive measures. The gap between security and the complexity of the attacks is "widening" and "will only become more pronounced over time." 

It said it was "vital we increase our cyber resilience across the whole of the UK, and that we do so with urgency."

The agency's findings say they dealt with 430 cyberattacks in 2024, up from 371 in 2023. Of these, 89 were "nationally significant," and 12 "were at the top end of the scale and more severe in nature."

The report classified China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as "real and enduring threats." Ransomware attacks proved "the most immediate and disruptive threat to our critical national infrastructure." 

"Hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication, and intensity," said Richard Horne, according to excerpts from his speech that were viewed in advance by Sky News. "We believe the severity of the risk facing the UK is being widely underestimated." Horned added. 

Horne said there was "no room for complacency about the severity of state-led threats or the volume of the threat posed by cybercriminals." The agency chief warned that the "defense and resilience of critical infrastructure, supply chains, the public sector and our wider economy must improve."