To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proceeds of crime generated by cyber attacks by hostile states utilising ransom demands; and what steps they are taking to prevent such crime.
Answered on
4 February 2022
During 2021, ransomware became the most significant cyber threat facing the UK. In response, in June the Home Office launched a cross-government policy sprint to accelerate our response to this growing threat. The sprint has engaged in three pillars of activity aligning to the wider SOC strategy pillars (prepare, prevent, protect and pursue): threat, resilience, and international. Underreporting continues to impact our ability to understand the true cost and scale of cybercrime to the UK, an aspect we are actively trying to improve.
Tackling cyber crime, including ransomware, is at the heart of the UK government’s new National Cyber Security. The strategy was launched in December 2021 and presents the UK’s role as a responsible and democratic cyber power, protecting and promoting UK interests in, and through, cyberspace. The strategy commits £2.6bn of new investment to deliver objectives under five strategic pillars: Ecosystem; Resilience; Technology; International; and Threat.
HMG continues its work with global partners to detect and disrupt shared threats emanating from overseas, the most consistent of these from ransomware criminals based in Russia. In December 2021, the UK held a G7 Senior Officials’ Forum on Ransomware to combat the threat, and the UK is taking a leading role in the international Counter Ransomware Initiative. Further information on the impacts and actions to combat cyber crime can be found in the National Cyber Security Centre Annual Review 2021, on ncsc.gov.uk.