The UK will remain “exposed and unprepared” for a potentially catastrophic ransomware attack if it continues to adopt a head-in-the-sand approach to the looming threat, an influential parliamentary committee has warned.
Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) chair, Margarett Beckett, made the comments as the committee published the government’s response to its year-long inquiry. That inquiry published its findings back in December 2023, warning the government is doing little to prepare for the high risk of a “catastrophic” ransomware attack.
In her comments yesterday, Beckett likened the government’s attitude to the lack of preparation and planning that ultimately led to a shambolic pandemic response – even though such an event was at the top of the UK’s national risk register for years.
“In this response to our ransomware report, it is ever clearer that government does not know the extent or costs of cyber-attacks across the country – though we’re the third most cyber-attacked country in the world – nor does it have any intention of…
