Sir Jeremy Fleming said global economic issues and the war in Ukraine have made it ‘ever more relevant’ to keep the UK safe online.
10 May 2022
Strong cybersecurity is needed to protect the UK, now more than ever, because of global economic concerns and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the head of GCHQ has said.
Sir Jeremy Fleming told the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) CyberUK conference in Newport, Wales, that the current “serious global economic situation” means “the need to make the UK the safest place to live and do business online is ever more relevant”.
The GCHQ director said the UK must continue to focus on cybercriminals and other bad actors who are constantly adapting their tactics in an effort to make money through illegal activities.
He said the National Cyber Force (NCF) – a partnership between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence – has been working to “disrupt” cybercrime and has done so on an “immense scale”.
🔴 Live!
Sir Jeremy Fleming has kicked off his speech at #CYBERUK22 – tune in now! https://t.co/nQkaFDLkU3 pic.twitter.com/uzumyclztf
— GCHQ (@GCHQ) May 10, 2022
He also warned that the UK and other countries that are standing with Ukraine against Russia’s ongoing invasion must continue to boost their own cybersecurity capabilities.
He said GCHQ has seen indications that “Russia’s cyber operatives continue to look for targets in countries that oppose their actions”.
“There’s plenty of cyber about, including a range of activity we and partners have attributed to Russia,” he said.
“We’ve seen what looks like some spillover of activity affecting other countries.
“That’s why we have increased our efforts to ensure UK businesses and Government urgently improve levels of cyber resilience.
“And why, with our allies, we will continue to support Ukraine in shoring up their cyber defences.”
Bore da! 🏴#CYBERUK22 is now open! 👋🏼
Two days of compelling, interactive and inspiring sessions on cyber security, taking place @ICCWales.
Follow the @NCSC over the next couple of days for the highlights pic.twitter.com/5PjtGCJYnd
— GCHQ (@GCHQ) May 10, 2022
Speaking at the two-day cybersecurity conference, the intelligence chief said the UK is constantly working at domestic level to protect the public and businesses from cybercriminals.
“Alongside our partners, we have mounted operations to undermine their networks, and prevent them from profiting from their crimes, as well as denying them access to their cyber tools and malware,” he said.
“In real life, this means tens of millions of pounds in potential fraud against the UK economy avoided, hundreds of thousands of stolen credit cards made worthless to the criminals, and countless potential victims of crime around the world with their data and accounts safeguarded. That’s cyber power on an immense scale.”
🚨🚨🚨 We’re kicking off #CYBERUK22 with a huge achievement from the NCSC – 2.7 million scams taken down from the internet in 2021.
— NCSC UK (@NCSC) May 10, 2022
It came as the NCSC revealed that it helped stop a record 2.7 million online scams during 2021 – four times the number in the previous year.
The cybersecurity body said the rise was the result of the organisation expanding its services to tackle a broader range of scams, including fake celebrity endorsements, rather than an overall increase in malicious content targeting the UK public.
