Threats to cyber security are increasingly organised and transnational with no respect for geographical borders. Over the last year, we have seen a significant increase in the scale and severity of malicious cyber activity globally. In the UK, we have seen the impact of major cyber security incidents, such as the WannaCry attack that affected 48 NHS Trusts.
The UK has been clear that it will not tolerate such malicious cyber activity and will seek to impose consequences on those who wish to undermine the rules-based international order in this way. Thus the government has put in place our National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, supported by £1.9bn of transformational investment.
These attacks have real-world impacts – from a patient missing a cancelled hospital appointment to the small business owner losing daily takings. A cyber attack on one of our most well-known Internet Service Providers cost £60m and the loss of 95,000 customers. It is therefore no surprise that CEOs and other leaders are taking this increasingly seriously.