In 2021 US President Joe Biden declared a national state of emergency after a ransomware attack by Russian DarkSide forced the shut down one of the country's largest and most vital oil lines for six days. What would a worst-case scenario attack on UK CNI look like, and how well prepared would we be to deal with the attack and its fallout?
On Wednesday 21 February the SITC opens oral evidence in its inquiry into the cyber-security and resilience of the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI): the physical and increasingly digital infrastructure that underpins and enables our communications, energy supply, finance and essential public services, large portions of which are operated by the private sector.
Meeting details
The UK is the third most targeted country in the world for cyber-attacks, after the US and Ukraine, with offensive cyber capabilities by state and non-state actors proliferating in recent years - exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In this first oral evidence session of the inquiry, the Committee will explore the scale and nature of threats to the UK’s CNI, where the biggest risks are coming from and the UK’s capabilities in response.
The Government recently set new targets for CNI cyber-resilience set to be achieved by 2025. In the expert witnesses’ views, how well positioned is the UK with necessary regulatory frameworks, support to industry, cyber-skills and literacy to meet these targets and protect our critical national supplies and services?