Top 10 Cyber Crime Stories Of 2024
ComputerWeekly, Wednesday, December 18th, 2024
From ransomware targeting the NHS to nation-state-backed intrusions, 2024 was another big year for cyber criminals and cyber spooks alike, but they didn't have it all their own way as the good guys fought back
The ransomware juggernaut rolled inexorably onwards in 2024, yet again, leaving more devastated victims in its wake. This year, the UK's NHS found itself at the receiving end of some particularly nasty attacks, but there were other high-profile victims as well.
Meanwhile, state-backed cyber intrusions from the likes of China and Russia continued apace, driven by global geopolitical uncertainty, with many long-running cyber espionage campaigns exposed.
But if 2024 proved one thing only, it was that shining a light on the cyber underworld is working, and the British are definitely coming for the bad guys, as new attributions from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), takedowns led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), and proposed legislation highlighting ransomware threats to critical sectors is proving.