Britain’s Critical National Infrastructure Vulnerable to Cyber-Attacks, Report Claims

The UK parliamentary Committee for on the National Secuirity Strategy has published a report casting doubt over the public and private sector’s ability to overcome cyber-attacks. The report, which highlights the vulnerability of Britain’s Critical National Infrastructure, states that the UK government is failing to act with the appropriate “urgency and forcefulness the situation demands,” going as far as to state that the CNI is “a natural target for such an attack” due to its significant impact on Britons’ daily life. The report accuses the UK government of failing to deliver on its commitment to “do more to improve the cyber resilience of our critical national infrastructure, irrespective of whether it is owned or operated in the public or private sector.” As overseas hackers get more aggressive, demand has surged for the government to further strengthen their defences, but according to the report, the government lacks funding to invest in new tools to help fend off cybercrime attackers. The report identifies 13 sectors most at risk of cyber-attacks. These included chemicals, civil nuclear, communications, defence, emergency services, energy, finance, food, government, health, space, transport and water. The report also said that the imposed price control on energy utilities is to blame for the lack of funding towards improving defences against on-going cyber-attacks.