Ransomware Attacks against British institutions are now at endemic levels.
The attack on Jaguar Land Rover in August 2025 was really just the tip of the iceberg, but pretty typical of the type of hacking induced cybercrime being inflicted on British Business now as a matter of routine.
Jaguar was compelled to close factories for more than a month, with costs amounting to billions of pounds but unfortunately this was not a isolated incident: Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, Heathrow, Transport for London, and the British Library are some of the organizations that have been badly impacted in the past few years.
“Highly significant incidents, as reported to us, increased by 50% over the past year," the National Cyber Security Centre has revealed.
This is now a serious, structural problem for the UK's cyber infrastructure...
An Economy Built on Insecurity
Our economy is now totally dependent on the internet, the problem is that some companies are just decades behind the curve, with huge businesses built on out-dated cyber foundations with too many patches, whereas what they need is a total rebuild, but in this day and age, that is PRICEY!
The sectors that are most at risk are manufacturing, the supply chain, and healthcare. When a healthcare system is down, for example, a hospital is brought to a standstill. They are also vulnerable to blackmail because of patient records.
Most cyberattacks are pretty mundane... the intruders begin with something very ordinary: emails, fake calls from the IT department, or imitating staff. This is known as "social engineering" by the experts in the cyberworld. Then, they elevate themselves with increased privileges, lock computers with ransomware, and make a ransom demand for the user.
The weak point, almost always, is human.
Ransomware as a Business Model
Hacking these days is a profession. Ransomware is now available “as a service” on the dark web, making it easier to use. There are groups such as DarkSide, REvil, and LockBit that provide subscription packages, encryption software, even negotiation assistance.
Cryptocurrency has accelerated this environment. It gives the hacker the opportunity to move funds quickly and with a level of anonymity. It is estimated that in 2023, $1.1 billion was aid worldwide in ransomware threats.
The hackers’ groups themselves vary from loosely connected teenagers to state-sourced actors in Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The majority of the hacking incidents that have taken place in the UK have been linked to a hacking group called “Scattered Spider,” known to launch attacks on vulnerabilities within a short span of time.
The Difficulty in Halting Them
Law enforcement agencies are face huge challenges. The hackers are international, accessing countries that are not willing to co-operate with the law enforcement agencies. The structure of the hacking communities is decentralised, fluid, and full of secrecy. It is rarely that a hacker is prosecuted when identified.
This means that prevention is the only real way to protect against these types of threat. The NCSC is very direct on this point: “most ransomware victims are not targeted specifically. They are targeted because vulnerabilities are easily identified by scanning.” Simple cyber-hygiene practices would put a stop to a high percentage of ransomware attacks.
However, most organisations still consider investment in cyber security as a necessary cost but not infrastructure, while some small businesses go bankrupt following cyber attacks.
Final Thoughts..
Cyber attacks are not going anywhere, and in an age where prosecutions of hackers are rare it makes sense for businesses to invest HEAVILY in cyber security meaasure to prevent these hacks occurring in the first place!