Have plans on paper in case of cyber-attack, firms told

Have plans on paper in case of cyber-attack, firms told

The latest recommendation advises people to prepare for potential cyber-attacks by reverting back to pen and paper. This precaution comes after a string of recent hacks that have demonstrated the chaos that can ensue when computer systems are compromised. Chief executives across the country are being strongly encouraged by the government to have physical copies of their plans ready as a safety measure.

The National Cyber-Security Centre (NCSC) has reported an uptick in more serious cyber attacks this year. Criminal hacks on major companies like Marks and Spencer, The Co-op, and Jaguar Land Rover have resulted in empty shelves and halted production lines due to the absence of functioning computer systems. Richard Horne, the chief executive of the NSCS, emphasized the importance of having a contingency plan in place in case of an attack breaching the IT infrastructure.

Organizations are being urged to adopt a strategy called “resilience engineering” that focuses on creating systems capable of anticipating, absorbing, recovering, and adapting in the event of a cyber attack. The NCSC suggests that these plans should ideally be in physical or offline form. While the total number of hacks handled by the NCSC in the first nine months of the year remains consistent with previous years, there has been a noticeable uptick in hacks with a more significant impact, with nearly half being classified as nationally significant incidents.

The increase in highly significant incidents, such as the attacks on UK retailers earlier in the year, signifies a growing trend in cyber-attacks of greater magnitude. Financially motivated attacks by criminal gangs seeking ransom or data extortion are prevalent, with many of these groups operating in Russian or former Soviet countries. Additionally, there has been a resurgence in teenage hacking gangs suspected to be based in English-speaking countries, with seven teenagers arrested in the UK this year in connection with major cyber-attacks. The government is also pushing for organizations to leverage the free tools and services offered by the NCSC to bolster their cyber defenses, including free cyber insurance for small businesses that have completed the Cyber-Essentials program

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