UK spies help NHS fight pandemic-fueled cyber crime attacks

A state security agency has stepped in to help Britain’s National Health Service repel a surge in cybercrime linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some 723 online incidents required the direct intervention of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in the 12 months to August 31, a 10% increase from the same period ending in August 2019, the agency said in its annual report published Tuesday. About 200 of the attacks were related to the coronavirus.

The NCSC’s response included an assessment of the state-run health service’s vulnerabilities. This uncovered weaknesses including about 35 internet domains that could be exposed to malicious activity.

Covid-19 forced millions to work from home and fueled anxieties about the virus, presenting a tempting target for cybercriminals. A division of GCHQ, Britain’s signals intelligence agency, the NCSC said that since March it had taken down 15,354 campaigns using coronavirus to lure people into clicking links which could have led to phishing and malware. Many of the 22,000 malicious web addresses it tackled hosted scams playing on Covid-19 fears like pretending to sell personal protection equipment.

Also Read: FBI warns ransomware assault threatens US healthcare system

Parts of the NHS were crippled in 2017 by the global WannaCry ransomware attack. But the UK is far from alone facing such troubles: The FBI and other US federal agencies last week warned American hospitals about “an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to US hospitals and health-care providers.”

The NCSC’s pandemic response also included flagging suspected attempts by Russian intelligence to steal private information from researchers racing to develop a Covid-19 vaccine - a charge Russia denied.

Covid has forced some UK officials’ post-Brexit trade negotiations online, ahead of the December 31 end of the transition period. The NCSC said it advised them how to avoid potentially disastrous cyber breaches, and also contributed to the security of systems that will monitor the flow of goods at the border.