The NCSC’s latest Annual Review has revealed that the organisation defended the UK from an average of 60 attacks per month during a year which saw its resources proactively focused on the coronavirus response.

The NCSC, which is a part of GCHQ, handled 723 incidents between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020, of which around 200 were related to coronavirus. In the previous three years since launching, the organisation supported an average of 602 incidents annually (590 in 2017, 557 in 2018 and 658 in 2019).

The NCSC says that the growth this year reflects: (i) ongoing efforts to proactively identify and mitigate threats; (ii) tips the organisation receives from its extensive network of partners; and (iii) reports from victims themselves.

In a year heavily influenced by the pandemic, the review highlights the NCSC’s support for the healthcare sector and working with international allies to raise awareness of the threat of vaccine research targeting.

With cyber criminals looking to exploit public fear over the pandemic with coronavirus-related online scams, the NCSC and the City of London Police also launched the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which received 2.3 million reports from the public in its first four months, resulting in thousands of malicious websites being taken down.

The NCSC also provided the technical assurances during the creation of the Virtual Parliament, as well as producing a wide range of advice for businesses and individuals switching to home working as a result of the pandemic. To read the NCSC’s press release in full and for a link to the Annual Review, click here.