Government urges firms to strengthen cybersecurity after increase in attacks

The government is urging businesses and charities to strengthen their cybersecurity practices following the release of new figures that show the frequency of cyberattacks is increasing.

Almost one in three businesses (31 percent) and a quarter (26 percent) of charities suffering attacks said they now experience breaches or attacks at least once a week, according to the Cybersecurity Breaches Survey 2022 report from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

It revealed the frequency of cyberattacks is rising, the number of businesses which experienced an attack or breach remained the same as 2021 levels. Almost a third of charities (30 percent) and two in five businesses (39 percent) reported cybersecurity breaches or attacks in the last 12 months. 

“It is vital that every organisation take cybersecurity seriously as more and more business is done online and we live in a time of increasing cyber risk,” said Cyber Minister Julia Lopez.

“No matter how big or small your organisation is, you need to take steps to improve digital resilience now and follow the free government advice to help keep us all safe online.” 

NCSC Cyber Essentials

The National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) has issued a note declaring it is not aware of any current specific cyber threats to UK organisations in relation to events around Ukraine. 

However, it says small businesses should adopt the Cyber Essentials scheme to protect against the most common cyber threats such as phishing attacks and use the Small Business Guide to improve cybersecurity practices.

Larger organisations should use the Board Toolkit to get company executives to act on cyber resilience and charities should follow the Small Charity Guide to boost cybersecurity operations. 

Following a wave of high profile attacks over the past year including on Kaseya, Colonial Pipeline and Microsoft Exchange, there has been increased attention on the cybersecurity of supply chains and digital services.

Four out of five senior managers (82 percent) in UK businesses now see cybersecurity as a ‘very high’ or ‘fairly high’ priority, up from 77 percent in 2021. This is a significant increase and the highest figure seen in any year of the cybersecurity breaches survey.

Strengthening UK cyber laws

The report also found four in ten businesses (40 percent) and almost a third of charities (32 percent) were using at least one managed service provider (MSP) but only 13 percent of businesses reviewed the risks posed by immediate suppliers. 

The government is aiming to strengthen critical businesses’ cyber resilience by updating the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations which set out cybersecurity rules for essential services such as water, energy, transport, healthcare and digital infrastructure.

This will make sure the legislation remains effective and keeps pace with technology. It includes proposals to expand the NIS Regulations to include managed service providers which essential and digital services depend on to operate, to minimise the risk of attacks. 

The government claims it is committed to protecting the UK from cyber threats, which is at the centre of its £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy.