Tag Archive for: UK’s

Artificial intelligence Can Exacerbate Ransomware Attacks, Warns UK’s National Cyber Security Center

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UK-based organizations and businesses have always been prominent victims of cyber threats – particularly ransomware. Britain’s cyber mastermind has recently investigated the role of AI and predict that the number of these attacks will only increase with time. Hackers will get ample chances to breach sensitive data due to the convenience that AI provides.

The National Cyber Security Center released a report stating their findings. According to them, AI removes the entry barrier for hackers who are new to the game. They can easily get into any system and carry out malicious activities without getting caught. Targeting victims will be a piece of cake with AI being available round the clock.

The NCSC claims that the next two years will significantly increase global ransomware threat incidents. Contemporary criminals have created criminal generative AI, more popularly referred to as “GENAI.” They are all set to offer it as a service, for people who can afford it. This service will make it even easier for any layman to enter into office systems and hack them.

Lindy Cameron who is the chief executive at NCSC, urges companies to remain at pace with modern cyber security tools. She emphasizes the importance of using AI productively for risk management on cyber threats.

Ransomware is the most frequent form of cybercrime, with good reason. It offers substantial financial compensation and has a well-established business model. Moreover, with the integration of AI, it’s evident that ransomware attacks are not going anywhere.

The Director General, James Babbage at NSA further ascertains that the released report is factually correct. Criminals will continue exploiting AI for their benefit and businesses must upscale to deal with it. AI increases the speed and abilities of already existing cyberattack schemes. It offers an easy entry point for all kinds of cyber criminals – regardless of their expertise or experience. Babbage also talks about child sexual abuse and fraud – both of which will also be affected as this world advances.

The British Government is strategically working on its cyber security plan. As of the latest reports, £2.6 billion ($3.3 billion) has been invested to…

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Third-party ransomware attack impacts UK’s Greater Manchester Police

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BleepingComputer reports that the UK’s Greater Manchester Police has been impacted by a data breach stemming from a ransomware attack against a service supplier, which also caters to other UK organizations.

Information compromised in the incident includes the personal information of some of the police department’s employees but financial data is unlikely to have been impacted, according to GMP Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane.

“…[W]e have contacted the Information Commissioners Office and are doing everything we can to ensure employees are kept informed, their questions are answered, and they feel supported,” McFarlane added.

Such an intrusion follows third-party breaches affecting the UK’s Metropolitan Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland during the past month.

Metropolitan Police had data from 47,000 police officers and staff, including names, ranks, and vetting levels, exposed after a cyberattack against ID card and access pass manufacturer Digital ID, while 10,000 police officers of PSNI also had their personally identifiable information stolen, some of which were already leaked online.

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UK’s offensive hacking force plans to scale operations to meet government’s demands

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The UK’s National Cyber Force (NCF) has revealed plans to scale operations amid rising demands from the government to ramp up offensive hacking capabilities.

In a report offering a unique insight into the NCF’s ongoing expansion, the offensive cyber force said it needs to “scale up to meet the requirements government has of it” and is rapidly expanding personnel and capabilities to meet current demand. 

The NCF is currently in the process of establishing a new permanent base of operations as Samlesbury in Lancashire, which it said will enable the force to “increase operational output”. 

Samlesbury, a 45-minute drive from GCHQ operations in Manchester, was selected as the site for the NCF headquarters in 2021.

As part of this expansion and recruitment drive, the NCF revealed that it plans to further invest in offensive hacking capabilities to contend with escalating global threats. 

The report said that “significant capability investment” will be required to “keep pace with the changing nature of technology” and mitigate increasingly sophisticated cyber threats currently faced by the UK. 

The NCF specifically highlighted rapid technological developments as a key operational challenge, noting that “fundamental changes to the future shape of the internet and globalisation of technology could raise significant complications”. 

“Our adversaries are global and use a wide array of cyber and digital technologies,” the report said. “We need to have the technical ability and readiness to reach these adversaries wherever they are and irrespective of how they are using cyber technology.”

Closer integration with defence partners, including GCHQ, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) will also be a key objective for the NCF moving forward.

The NCF noted that it must “integrate effectively with other parts of government and with a wider range of partners and allies”. 

This includes law enforcement, government policy departments, the private sector, and a “growing number of international allies”. 

“More broadly, we are working with the private sector, academia, think tanks, and wider civil society to harness the best…

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The UK’s National AI Strategy: setting a 10-year agenda to make the UK a “global AI superpower” | Allen & Overy LLP

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Why do we need a National AI Strategy

The AI Council recognised that its Roadmap of sixteen recommendations (regarding R&D, skills and diversity, data, infrastructure, public trust, investment and adoption) would need to be rolled out over time and therefore, it encouraged the UK Government to produce a National AI Strategy.

In its published form, the National AI Strategy (the Strategy) sets out a 10-year plan to make the UK “a global AI superpower” building on research and development success in the field as well as previous AI Sector Deal investment and establishment of AI bodies and structures (not least the AI Council and Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI)).

The Strategy notes specific goals for the UK to experience significant growth in AI discoveries made, commercialised and exploited in the UK, associated economic and productivity growth and to establish a trusted and pro-innovation AI governance system. But more generally, the Strategy mirrors other recent publications, highlighting the UK Government’s desire to provide a pro-innovation environment, with a business-friendly regulatory framework, whilst protecting the public and fundamental values.

The Strategy differentiates AI (defined as “machines that perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, especially when the machines learn from data how to do those tasks”) from other technology or digital policy, calling out features that the UK Government considers require a unique policy response. These include, for example, questions regarding liability, fairness, transparency bias, risk and safety arising from AI system autonomy and algorithm complexity; issues regarding greater infrastructure requirements necessary to perform; multiple skills sets necessary and lengthy commercialisation journeys.

The three pillars

The National AI Strategy points to three core pillars:

• Investment in long term needs of the AI ecosystem-to ensure competitiveness
• Supporting transition to an AI enabled economy-considering all sectors and regions
• Ensuring the right national and international governance of AI technologies-working with global partners to promote responsible AI development

It identifies…

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