There’s a new UK cyber attack severity rating system – here’s what it means

The government is launching a crackdown on devastating and costly cyber attacks in the UK with a new system that is being launched today.

Hackers launched over 7,000,000 cyber attacks in the UK in 2023, with these security breaches costing the British economy £27,000,000,000 each year.

In a response, a cyber security panel will begin rating these online attacks in an effort to protect businesses.

Breaches that target multiple organisations and leave £100 million worth of damage will now be labelled by experts and accompanied by detailed advice on how to recover.

Online security attacks have ripped through the NHS and other institutions, with one attack against NHS England in June last year stealing 400GB of private data from trusts.

Cyber experts are warning that ‘the risk of major cyber events is greater now than at any time in the past’ as the new rating system comes into force.

What is the UK’s new cyber attack severity system?

The cyber security watchdog the Cyber Monitoring Centre will rate incidents on a scale of one (least severe) to five (most severe).

A CMC panel will produce a comprehensive report to accompany each rating, with advice for the victims on how to recover and protect themselves in the future.

In charge of the rating process is Ciaran Martin, who said the system could help businesses respond and recover.

‘Measuring the severity of incidents has proved very challenging. This could be a huge leap forward,’ he said.

‘I have no doubt the CMC will improve the way we tackle, learn from, and recover from cyber incidents.

‘If we crack this, and I’m confident that we will, ultimately it could be a huge boost to cyber security efforts, not just here but internationally too.’

What are different types of cyber attacks?

Phishing is by far the most common type of cyber crime faced by businesses and charities.

Scammers send fake messages and appeals that appear to come from a trustworthy source.

But the phishing content tricks people into handing over sensitive data like credit card and log in information.

Phishing messages could even install dangerous malware on the victim’s device.

Malware is a form of cyber attack on its own.

Short for malicious software, malware is intrusive software developed by hackers to steal data and damage or destroy computer systems.

Hackers are known to sell data stolen from malware attacks on the dark web.

A denial-of-service attacks are also used by hackers to wreck an organisation’s operations.

The breach floods devices with disruptive false requests, stopping people from performing even simple tasks.

These types of attacks can cost time and money to get an organisation’s network back on track.

What are recent examples of cyber attacks in the UK?

Major UK institutions and millions of Brits have been hit by cyber security breaches.

A cyber attack against Transport for London in September last year forced them to suspend multiple services across the capital and cost them over £30 million.

A string of councils, including Portsmouth, Salford and Middlesborough were affected by the pesky denial-of-service attacks in November.

Pro-Russian hackers claimed responsibility for the breach, which stopped residents making important online payments.

Dr Ian Batten, a cyber security expert at the Birmingham Centre for Cyber Security and Privacy, told Metro: ‘If you get a major incident in a large organisation the results can be absolutely devastating. Hospitals can be brought to their knees.

Batten said actors like Russia and China are attempting devastating cyber attacks, ‘It would be naïve to say it would never happen.’

However Batten stressed government bodies are ‘extremely well protected’ from serious incidents and ‘most cyber threats happening are at a relatively low level.’

He added the new warning system ‘is the cyber security equivalent of a red weather warning.

‘It sounds like a good idea but the devil is always in the detail.’

Hospitals are also a constant target for hackers.

Private patient data from three Hospitals in Liverpool were stolen in a single cyber security incident in December.

Another attack only weeks earlier saw Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust declared a major incident and left patients facing long A&E waits and cancelled appointments.

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