LONDON, Oct 14 (KUNA) - The British government issued a major warning to its national companies on Tuesday regarding the severity of cyber attacks and their grave threat to the UK's national and economic security.
In a letter, the Cabinet urged hundreds of major companies operating in various sectors to instantly enhance cybersecurity and follow the guidelines and steps developed by experts from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to protect against cyber threats.
The letter emphasized that "hostile cyber activity in the UK is growing more intense, frequent, and sophisticated," and it is causing significant financial and social damage to national companies and citizens.
It called for companies to register with the Centre's Early Warning service and ensure their commitment to adopting at least the minimum cybersecurity measures identified by the relevant government agencies and ensuring their implementation at all levels, particularly within supply chains.
The Cabinet emphasized that strengthening the country's resilience to cyberattacks requires close cooperation between the government and the industrial sector, noting the importance of transforming this priority into concrete measures to comprehensively address vulnerabilities and enhance the ability to protect the economy and society.
The letter noted that recent cyber incidents targeting British companies demonstrate how cyberattacks can disrupt economic operations and cause significant financial losses, and that achieving proper cyber resilience is a crucial factor in enabling economic growth and creating a stable environment for investment and innovation.
The letter was signed by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, State Secretary for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall, State Secretary for Business and Trade Peter Kyle, Minister for Security Dan Jarvis, the CEO of NCSC Richard Horne and Director General of the National Crime Agency Graeme Biggar.
Britain has witnessed several cyberattacks in recent months targeting major institutions, most notably the car manufacturers Land Rover and Jaguar, the Marks & Spencer chain of stores, and the famous Harrods department store, causing direct financial losses amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds. (end) mrn.res