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Ransomware hackers now 'bigger threat' than nation state actors
Ransomware now represents the largest threat to online security for the UK, the head of GCHQ’s cybersecurity arm has warned.
Lindy Cameron, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, has said that ransomware incidents against individuals and businesses around the world are escalating and becoming more professional in their approach.
Speaking to London’s Royal United Services Institute, Cameron said that while online spying from hostile nations remains a “malicious strategic threat”, it is the rising threat of ransomware attacks that must be addressed with utmost urgency.
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“For the vast majority of UK citizens and businesses, and indeed for the vast majority of critical national infrastructure providers and government service providers, the primary key threat is not state actors but cybercriminals,” Cameron said, according to the Guardian.
Growing threat
Cameron’s assessment of the increasing professionalism of ransomware operators is in line with a recent study by cybersecurity vendor Trend Micro, which concluded that the cybercriminals are specifically going after billion dollar corporations, who can ill afford to suffer any down time.
This has been witnessed in the recent attacks on the US’ Colonial Pipeline and major meat processing company JBS. Both of the victims were quick to pay the ransom to wrest back control of their network and data, which also helped highlight the risk of such attacks on critical infrastructure and supply chains.
Quoting figures from SonicWall, Financial Times reports that the number of ransomware incidents rose by more than 60 percent to a total of 305 million in 2020.
Many of the ransomware gangs are thought to operate out of Russia and other former Soviet states, which experts suggest turn a blind eye to their activities as long as they don’t target victims within their borders.
While Cameron did not name Russia in her speech, she did say that the cybercriminals, “don’t exist in a vacuum. They are often enabled and facilitated by states acting with impunity.”
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Date
14 Jun 2021Sources
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TalkTalk takes the title of best Black Friday broadband deal this year
Read MoreIf your broadband contract is ending soon, then lady luck must be shining on you. It's a fantastic time to get a new broadband deal thanks to Black Friday.
Vodafone has been creating a storm with what it's calling its "best ever broadband deal". For £20 per month and nothing up front, you can sign up for a two-year contract to its superfast 67Mb fibre broadband. Make no mistake... that is a sensational price, and, in normal circumstances, would be head and shoulders ahead of the rest.
But these are not normal times, and the competition around Black Friday broadband deals is hotter than ever this year. So you need to check out the offer TalkTalk is offering.
With the same average speeds and a shorter commitment (18 months), you can get TalkTalk for the same monthly price. But, where this provider ups the ante is with its limited-time freebie. Sign up by Sunday and it will send you a £70 gift card that you can spend at your choice of Amazon.co.uk, M&S, Tesco, or just as a pre-paid credit card you can use anywhere you wish.
These two Black Friday broadband deals in full:
TalkTalk Fibre 65 Broadband: 18 months | Avg speeds 67Mb | FREE activation | £20 per month + £70 voucher
TalkTalk's Fibre 65 broadband plan is an all-round fantastic option, standing out as the best Black Friday fibre broadband plan this year. Here you're only paying £20 a month but getting speeds averaging 67Mb - easily one of the cheapest prices for that kind of speed. On top of that, you'll also get a £70 voucher with this deal.
Vodafone Superfast 2: 24 months | Avg speeds 67Mb | FREE activation | £20 a month
Look familiar? This is almost identical to the TalkTalk deal above, but this one doesn't have that all-important gift card. For anybody trying to lock in a bargain monthly cost for as long as possible, however, the longer contract Vodafone is offering may just appeal.How to claim your gift card
In order to qualify for TalkTalk's gift card, you need to place your order by midnight this Sunday night (November 28).
After that, there is a bit of waiting... TalkTalk says that the voucher will be sent out by email up to 90 days after your order date. So we're afraid you won't have the chance to use it for any Amazon Black Friday deals this year.
Once it lands in your inbox, there's a 150 day time limit on using. And it probably goes without saying that no vouchers will be sent out on orders that are cancelled.
More Black Friday deals:
- Amazon: up to 45% off Echo, Kindle and more for Black Friday
- Adidas: half-price trainers, tees, tracksuits and exercise gear
- Argos: Christmas decorations and stocking fillers from just £6
- Boots: better than half-price fragrances, beauty and gift sets
- Currys: record low prices on LG OLED TVs, coffee machines and laptops
- Dell: sneak peek sale live with 35% off laptops and monitors
- eBay: discounted Christmas gifts from small and independent sellers
- Ebuyer: SSDs from £21.99, 44% off laptops and Razer gaming chairs for £279.99
- Emma Sleep: mattresses and bed bundles starting from £299
- JD Sports: trainers from Nike, Adidas and Puma at up to 50% off
- Microsoft: save up to £450 on the Surface Pro 7
- Nectar: get 45% off any mattress and up to 30% off bedding
- Nintendo Switch: get a Nintendo Switch with Immortals: Fenyx Rising free
- Simply Be: discounts of up to 50% on coats, jackets and cardigans
- Very: £130 off Shark Anti Hair Wrap vacuum, £50 off Beats Solo 3 headphones, more
- Wayfair: save on furniture, rugs, desks and lighting
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