Written question asked by Baroness Andrews (Labour) on Monday, 18 May 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 26 May 2020. It was answered by Baroness Barran (Conservative) on Tuesday, 26 May 2020 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Cybercrime: Coronavirus

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent cyberattacks on (1) UK computing infrastructure, and (2) any delays to COVID-19 research that such attacks may have caused. [T]

Answer: The UK remains resilient against cyber attacks and the government has invested heavily in developing the UK's cyber security capabilities, as set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy. The Government judges the overall level of cyber crime has remained stable, however there has been an increase in malicious ‘phishing’ emails attempting to capitalise on concern around Covid-19. The National Cyber Security Centre is supporting the NHS, health researchers and others in the health supply chain to ensure all the nation's resources can be focused on the public health response without disruption.

Secondary information