UK businesses are dealing with a higher number of cyber attacks than ever before according to a new report from the National Cyber Security Centre(NCSC).

In the recently published report, Cyber Threat to UK Business Industry 2017-2018, the NCSC has revealed that the scale and number of data breaches increased significantly in 2017. The organisation also highlighted some of the cyber security trends that businesses should be aware of in 2018.

By the end of 2017, the NCSC recorded 36 significant cyber attacks and 762 incidents that were less serious.

One of the biggest attacks of last year was the WannaCry ransomware attack which affected the NHS and many UK businesses. The report also delved into the largest data breaches of last year including the Equifax, Verizon and Uber hacks.

Chief executive of the NCSC, Ciaran Martin offered more details on the findings of the report and shed light on how the NCSC is working to combat cyber threats, saying:

“The last year has seen no deceleration in the tempo and volume of cyber incidents, as attackers device new ways to harm businesses and citizens around the globe. The NCSC’s aim is to make the UK an unattractive target to cyber criminals and certain nation states by increasing their risk, and reducing their return on investment.”
The NCSC highlighted the Internet of Things as a possible future threat for businesses and individuals to be weary of since consumers have begun to link numerous connected devices to their home networks including household appliances.

Cloud security was also identified as a potential future target of cyber attackers as businesses tend to put too much faith in their cloud providers without being aware of how and where their data is stored. This could inevitably lead to high profile data breaches where the information of UK citizens is exposed.

Despite these warnings from the NCSC, a Fujitsu survey found that only one in 10 UK businesses believe cyber crime is the biggest challenge to their future economic success.