China and Russia pose 'significant' cyber threat

THE "significant threat" posed by Chinese and Russian hackers has contributed to a record number of serious online attacks, the UK's cyber security agency has warned.

- DAVID HUGHES Press Association

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, recorded a 50% increase in "highly significant" incidents in the year to the end of August.

The attacks on household names including Marks & Spencer, Coop and Jaguar Land Rover have shown the real world impact of cyber attacks, the NCSC said. As well as online criminals launching ransomware attacks to demand money from firms or individuals, the UK is also targeted by hostile states either directly or through groups operating at arms-length from the authorities in Beijing, Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang.

The NCSC's annual review said: "State actors continue to present a significant threat to UK and global cyber security, aided by an evolving cyber intrusion sector. As threats intensified, our incident management team faced a record number of nationally significant incidents."

The report said: