Cyber Attack Activity In The UK Increases 16% In 2024, NCSC Warns Of Increasingly Complex Threats

JAKARTA UK Cybersecurity chief warned of increased cyberattack activity in the country, with the number of incidents handled by security teams rising by 16% in 2024 compared to the previous year.

"Frequencies, sophistication, and intensity of hostile activity in British cyberspace continue to increase," Richard Horne of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) said in a speech, as stated in the institution's official statement on Tuesday, November 3.

He added that the perpetrators of crime are increasingly taking advantage of the dependence of community technology to cause maximum disruption and damage.

NCSC, which is part of the British GCHQ intelligence agency, handled 430 cybersecurity incidents throughout 2024, up from 371 incidents in 2023. Of these, 347 cases involved data exfiltration data illegally and hidden data transfers from computer devices. In addition, 20 other incidents involved ransomware attacks.

The NCSC team also issued 542 special notifications for organizations affected by cyber incidents and provided mitigation advice, a more than double over 258 notices in the previous year.

In an annual review released in conjunction with the statement, NCSC highlighted that ransomware attacks are the most pressing and disruptive threats to critical infrastructure such as energy, water, transportation, health, and telecommunications.

The review also warns of hackers' potential to take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) in creating more sophisticated cyberattacks.

"We believe that the severity of the risks facing Britain is still being underestimated," Horne said. "There is no room to be complacent about threats led by the state or the volume of threats from cybercriminals."

This warning highlights the importance of cyber defense readiness and improvement in the midst of an increasingly complex and high-risk digital environment.

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