Whitehall departments are at growing risk of being hacked because anti-cyber attack defences are ‘lower’ than thought, an alarming report has found.
The inquiry by the National Audit Office (NAO) was branded a ‘wake-up call’ for officials to step-up defences against hostile actors.It identified a shortage of cyber skills within departments and risks posed by outdated IT systems. This means the UK is struggling to ‘catch up with the acute cyber threat’ and ‘get on top of this most pernicious threat’, according to the watchdog. More than two hundred antiquated IT systems were also in operation, with officials unable to say how vulnerable these were to attack.
Read more…
Source: MSN News
Related:
- Failed IT systems at Capita fuel fears of cyber-attack on crucial NHS provider
March 31, 2023
Computer systems have abruptly stopped working at the outsourcing group Capita, knocking out council phone lines and triggering fears that the company that runs crucial operations for the NHS and the military could be under cyber-attack. Capita staff are understood to have been unable to access IT systems since the early hours of Friday, and an ...
- UK: TikTok to be blocked from parliamentary devices and network over cyber security fears
March 23, 2023
The commissions of the House of Commons and House of Lords have announced they will follow the move taken by the government on official devices, citing the need for cyber security. A parliament spokesman said that TikTok “will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network”. Read more… Source: Sky News
- UK Government sets out strategy to protect NHS from cyber attacks
March 22, 2023
The government will provide a plan to promote cyber resilience across the health and care sectors by 2030, protecting both services and patients. New strategy sets out 5 key ways to build cyber resilience in health and care by 2030 Cyber strategy will protect health and adult social care functions and services, which the whole nation depends ...
- Wymondham College hit by sophisticated cyber attack
March 14, 2023
Wymondham College said disruption was likely to continue until the Easter holidays due to its IT system being targeted. In a message sent to students, seen by the EDP, the college apologised for disruption but said it believed there had been no data breach. Read more… Source: Wymondham Evening News
- UK minister asks National Cyber Security Centre to look into safety of app
March 14, 2023
UK security minister Tom Tugendhat has asked the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to look into TikTok after governments around the world have begun banning it from their work phones. The Chinese-owned video sharing app is increasingly under the European and US microscope over security and data privacy, with concerns it could be used to promote ...
- Royal Mail resumes overseas mail at post offices after cyber-attack
February 21, 2023
International mail services have finally been reinstated at UK post offices, more than a month after Royal Mail was hit by a cyber attack. The breach on 10 January caused a backlog that led to long delays for consumers and businesses. Read more… Source: BBC News