Latest news with #ChrisUlliott
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Why UK must use war on cyber criminals to prepare for online 'Battle of Britain'
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to the bank NatWest, it faces 100 million cyber attacks every month, a staggering figure that may help explain the recent problems faced by Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Edinburgh's schools because of hackers. With such a barrage, it almost seems inevitable that one will slip through. Speaking to the Scottish Parliament's Criminal Justice Committee, Chris Ulliott, head of cybersecurity at NatWest – which employs hundreds of staff to deal with threats – said that 'about a third of the emails, millions a month, we actually block because they are believed to be the start of an attack against our staff'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He added there was growing concern that criminals were using artificial intelligence to make their approaches to staff seem more credible. Increasing our expertise in dealing with hackers should provide valuable insights into how the UK would defend itself from cyber attacks during a war (Picture: Sean Gallup) | Getty Images Internet of Things However, fraudsters are not the only ones involved in cyber attacks. Hostile states also pose a threat. Speaking to The Scotsman, Graeme Downie MP, chair of the Coalition on Secure Technology, warned that China could hack the UK's traffic lights and other electronic equipment if the technology used in them is not sufficiently secure. The 'internet of things' (IoT) connects all manner of devices from washing machines and air fryers to critical parts of the National Grid. And many IoT 'modules' are manufactured in China. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'With short simple bits of code, someone could be in control of those [modules], or reprogram those to do different things,' Downie said. Vital to UK's defence Amid concern about a possible war with Russia should the situation in Ukraine escalate, cyber security is obviously a matter of national security. So, just as we have a Ministry of Defence, we should also have a Ministry of Cyber Defence to augment the work of the National Cyber Security Centre. With even large private companies struggling to defend themselves, they clearly need greater government help, and increasing expertise in seeing off such attacks would not only help the economy.
Finextra
15-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
NatWest faces 100 million cyber attacks every month
NatWest is bombarded with 100 million cyber attacks every month, the UK bank's head of cyber security has revealed. 0 Chris Ulliott told Members of the Scottish Parliament that hackers are constantly probing NatWest's defences, according to the Press Association. The bank blocks around a third of the millions of emails it receives every month "because they are believed to be the start of an attack against our staff". To deal with the constant barrage, NatWest has hundreds of cybersecurity employees and a budget of millions of pounds. The situation is likely to get more complicated with the rise of artificial technology, Ulliott told MSPs. He also speculated that Scattered Spider, the gang believed to be behind the recent attack on Marks & Spencer, is probably a loose international group in their teens and 20s who are sharing ideas on online forums.
South Wales Guardian
14-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
NatWest faces 100 million cyber attacks every month, MSPs told
The bank also blocks around a third of emails coming into its system, Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee heard. Police and cyber crime agencies are increasingly dealing with fraudsters operating online, with gold scams and romance fraud becoming particularly prominent. The trend increased sharply during the pandemic – in 2020 Police Scotland recorded 7,710 cyber crimes, but in 2024 that increased to 18,280. Chris Ulliott, head of cybersecurity at NatWest, told the committee on Wednesday: 'We analyse every single email coming into our estate, looking for malicious content. 'About a third of the emails, millions a month, we actually block because they are believed to be the start of an attack against our staff. 'If I look outside our network at the attacks that are probing our estate, we're averaging about 100 million attacks per month just trying to break past the defences we have in the organisation'. He said this has led to a cybersecurity team with hundreds of staff and a budget of millions. Mr Ulliott said there is growing concern about fraudsters using artificial intelligence (AI) to make their approaches to people seem more credible. Watch from 10 am on #SPTV as @agescotland @ArnoldClark @cyberfraudcen @CyberResScot @NCA_UK @NatWestGroup @PoliceScotland will give evidence on the impact of #cybercrime on business and vulnerable individuals in Scotland: — Criminal Justice Committee (@SP_Justice) May 14, 2025 The technology could even be used to alter a fraudster's appearance in a real-time online call to look like an 'elderly British gent' to gain trust with a victim. Mr Ulliott said Scattered Spider, the group which may have been behind the recent attack on Marks & Spencer, is likely a loose international group in their teens and 20s who are sharing ideas on online forums. SNP MSP Rona Mackay said the numbers revealed by the NatWest official were 'absolutely staggering'. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said law enforcement agencies around the world are collaborating to try and catch cyber criminals, with the FBI sharing intelligence on fraud and ransomware groups. Adam Stachura from the charity Age Scotland said many elderly people are not confident users of online technology. He said the impact of cyber crime can be devastating for the elderly, saying: 'It can create financial destitution – that hit to confidence and self-worth.' David Keenan, chief information officer at Arnold Clark, discussed the serious cyber attack which crippled the car company's network at the end of 2022. He said recovery was a months-long effort and the attack came despite the company having 12 staff dedicated to cybersecurity. The SNP's Ben Macpherson said cyber crime is 'the criminal justice issue of our time'. He said cyber criminals had even impersonated himself in order to contact constituents in Edinburgh Northern and Leith.
Leader Live
14-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
NatWest faces 100 million cyber attacks every month, MSPs told
The bank also blocks around a third of emails coming into its system, Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee heard. Police and cyber crime agencies are increasingly dealing with fraudsters operating online, with gold scams and romance fraud becoming particularly prominent. The trend increased sharply during the pandemic – in 2020 Police Scotland recorded 7,710 cyber crimes, but in 2024 that increased to 18,280. Chris Ulliott, head of cybersecurity at NatWest, told the committee on Wednesday: 'We analyse every single email coming into our estate, looking for malicious content. 'About a third of the emails, millions a month, we actually block because they are believed to be the start of an attack against our staff. 'If I look outside our network at the attacks that are probing our estate, we're averaging about 100 million attacks per month just trying to break past the defences we have in the organisation'. He said this has led to a cybersecurity team with hundreds of staff and a budget of millions. Mr Ulliott said there is growing concern about fraudsters using artificial intelligence (AI) to make their approaches to people seem more credible. Watch from 10 am on #SPTV as @agescotland @ArnoldClark @cyberfraudcen @CyberResScot @NCA_UK @NatWestGroup @PoliceScotland will give evidence on the impact of #cybercrime on business and vulnerable individuals in Scotland: — Criminal Justice Committee (@SP_Justice) May 14, 2025 The technology could even be used to alter a fraudster's appearance in a real-time online call to look like an 'elderly British gent' to gain trust with a victim. Mr Ulliott said Scattered Spider, the group which may have been behind the recent attack on Marks & Spencer, is likely a loose international group in their teens and 20s who are sharing ideas on online forums. SNP MSP Rona Mackay said the numbers revealed by the NatWest official were 'absolutely staggering'. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said law enforcement agencies around the world are collaborating to try and catch cyber criminals, with the FBI sharing intelligence on fraud and ransomware groups. Adam Stachura from the charity Age Scotland said many elderly people are not confident users of online technology. He said the impact of cyber crime can be devastating for the elderly, saying: 'It can create financial destitution – that hit to confidence and self-worth.' David Keenan, chief information officer at Arnold Clark, discussed the serious cyber attack which crippled the car company's network at the end of 2022. He said recovery was a months-long effort and the attack came despite the company having 12 staff dedicated to cybersecurity. The SNP's Ben Macpherson said cyber crime is 'the criminal justice issue of our time'. He said cyber criminals had even impersonated himself in order to contact constituents in Edinburgh Northern and Leith.
Rhyl Journal
14-05-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
NatWest faces 100 million cyber attacks every month, MSPs told
The bank also blocks around a third of emails coming into its system, Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee heard. Police and cyber crime agencies are increasingly dealing with fraudsters operating online, with gold scams and romance fraud becoming particularly prominent. The trend increased sharply during the pandemic – in 2020 Police Scotland recorded 7,710 cyber crimes, but in 2024 that increased to 18,280. Chris Ulliott, head of cybersecurity at NatWest, told the committee on Wednesday: 'We analyse every single email coming into our estate, looking for malicious content. 'About a third of the emails, millions a month, we actually block because they are believed to be the start of an attack against our staff. 'If I look outside our network at the attacks that are probing our estate, we're averaging about 100 million attacks per month just trying to break past the defences we have in the organisation'. He said this has led to a cybersecurity team with hundreds of staff and a budget of millions. Mr Ulliott said there is growing concern about fraudsters using artificial intelligence (AI) to make their approaches to people seem more credible. Watch from 10 am on #SPTV as @agescotland @ArnoldClark @cyberfraudcen @CyberResScot @NCA_UK @NatWestGroup @PoliceScotland will give evidence on the impact of #cybercrime on business and vulnerable individuals in Scotland: — Criminal Justice Committee (@SP_Justice) May 14, 2025 The technology could even be used to alter a fraudster's appearance in a real-time online call to look like an 'elderly British gent' to gain trust with a victim. Mr Ulliott said Scattered Spider, the group which may have been behind the recent attack on Marks & Spencer, is likely a loose international group in their teens and 20s who are sharing ideas on online forums. SNP MSP Rona Mackay said the numbers revealed by the NatWest official were 'absolutely staggering'. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said law enforcement agencies around the world are collaborating to try and catch cyber criminals, with the FBI sharing intelligence on fraud and ransomware groups. Adam Stachura from the charity Age Scotland said many elderly people are not confident users of online technology. He said the impact of cyber crime can be devastating for the elderly, saying: 'It can create financial destitution – that hit to confidence and self-worth.' David Keenan, chief information officer at Arnold Clark, discussed the serious cyber attack which crippled the car company's network at the end of 2022. He said recovery was a months-long effort and the attack came despite the company having 12 staff dedicated to cybersecurity. The SNP's Ben Macpherson said cyber crime is 'the criminal justice issue of our time'. He said cyber criminals had even impersonated himself in order to contact constituents in Edinburgh Northern and Leith.
