- Head of UK NCSC warns of ‘large-scale hacktivist attacks’
- Attacks could rival recent ransomware attacks against UK organizations
- Defenses could be strengthened by AI tools like Claude Mythos
If conflict were to break out between the UK and a foreign state, there could be “large-scale hacktivist attacks”, rivaling some of the most prolific attacks the UK has seen in recent years.
The comments come from Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), who warns of the scale of attacks at the CyberUK conference in Glasgow.
“If we were in a conflict situation or close to a conflict situation, the UK would likely face large-scale hacktivist attacks. With similar effects and sophistication to the ransomware attacks we see today. But… no possibility of paying a ransom to help recover,” Horne said in his opening speech.
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Hacktivism that rivals ransomware attacks
The UK has suffered several particularly damaging cyberattacks over the past 12 months, with food retailers M&S and Co-op suffering a joint Scattered Spider attack, and the attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) proving to be one of the costliest in UK history.
The NCSC chief’s warning suggests groups could launch attacks of similar scale and damage, and that organizations face a future where “paying their way out is simply not an option”.
Horne recommends that all UK businesses in the public and private sectors focus on strengthening defenses against threats, at the scale of “integrating cybersecurity into their business mission”.
“Ensuring they understand the full extent of the risks they face, build defense in depth so that an attacker’s initial footholds do not result in catastrophic impact,” Horne added.
Horne also said the development of AI models, such as Claude Mythos, that can identify zero days in software could be a “net positive” for UK cyber defence, if proven safe.
Graeme Stewart, head of public sector at Check Point Software, said: “At a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, the rise of a growing volume of increasingly sophisticated AI-based cyberattacks and unbreakable ransomware could bring the country to its knees. Large-scale hacktivist attacks pose an existential threat to UK PLC, with hostile powers seeking to damage and disrupt essential services such as the NHS, energy and chains supply.”
“Our own research shows that the UK is one of the most targeted countries in the world for cyber attacks. We cannot delay in our response to this threat, we need an urgent national debate on how to build cyber resilience across the public and private sectors. Scaling up cyber resilience should be at the top of the boardroom agenda, with defenses strengthened immediately,” Stewart concluded.
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