UK’s cyber defences are being outpaced: Nation-state attacks expose dangerous gaps in resilience
It is clear following a string of high profile cyber attacks that the UK is seen as increasingly vulnerable by malicious actors around the world.
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Over the past week, we have seen the crisis at Jaguar Land Rover intensify and the Co-Op disclose that the attack it suffered earlier this year cost more than £200m in lost revenue.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s anti-terrorism tsar, warned in an interview about the cyber threat posed by nation-state actors including Russia and Iran.
The rise and rise of nation-state actors and the UK’s growing cyber vulnerability is a serious cause for concern. At present, Russia and, increasingly, Iran, can target almost any organisation in the UK with confidence, and is doing so on a federated, mass scale. The gloves are well and truly off.
We have all the tools in this country – access to the intelligence, the technology, and the human skill base – to repel even the most sophisticated actors, but there is a lack of coordination that leaves British companies exposed. To cyber gangs looking to exploit weakness, the UK’s response to threats appears reactive and lacks control.
One area where nation-state actors are devoting increasing resource is into AI-powered social engineering, specifically via LinkedIn.
By posing as HR professionals with plausible job offers, criminal gangs are able to target individuals at companies operating in areas of critical national security such as satellite communications and space technology.
The frequency and sophistication of these attacks is rising at an alarming rate.
These supply chain risks have the potential to disrupt the way we all live our lives. Executives at UK companies must now consider how they develop loss prevention strategies that prepare them for the inevitable attacks. Doing so on a coordinated scale will help build economic resilience and prevent the next JLR-style attack.
AI is part of the problem, but is also critical to the solution. Proper deployment can help understand attack surfaces and reduce the capacity of cyber gangs to utilise social engineering.
Companies cannot rely on the government to provide all the answers. The private sector has significant technical expertise and access to real-time threat intelligence and must come together to establish a defence posture that will deter nation-state actors.
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Chris McGrath led intelligence operations at the London 2012 Olympics and is Senior Adviser Digital Trust at SCC
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