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The landscape of cyber security is rapidly evolving, and as we enter 2025, it’s clear that the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) faces unprecedented challenges. A recent report by Bridewell, a leading cyber security services provider in the UK, sheds light on the alarming state of cyber threats faced by CNI organisations. The report reveals a series of concerning trends, including widespread data breaches, substantial financial losses, and an alarming rise in sophisticated cyber attacks. With cyber threats growing ever more sophisticated, it is clear that the UK’s infrastructure needs to adopt more robust measures to secure its systems and data.
Key Findings
Bridewell’s research, titled Cyber Security in Critical National Infrastructure: 2025, provides insights gathered from over 600 cyber security professionals across the UK CNI sector. One of the most startling statistics from the report is that nearly one-third of UK CNI organisations targeted by ransomware admitted to paying the ransom. The practice of paying ransoms has been widely debated, yet this figure highlights how desperate and vulnerable organisations feel in the face of these attacks.
Additionally, the report reveals that a staggering 95% of UK CNI organisations have suffered a data breach over the past year. Even more concerning, over half of the affected organisations reported financial losses surpassing £100,000 per breach. These financial losses stem from various costs, including cyber security upgrades, systems recovery, and increased operational expenses.
Ransomware, phishing, and unauthorized access were identified as the top three most frequent cyber threats faced by these organisations. The data suggests that response times to such incidents remain a major issue, with only 22% of organisations able to respond to a ransomware attack within an hour. On the other hand, 69% take up to six hours to respond, reflecting the critical need to improve incident detection and response capabilities.
Another noteworthy finding is the increasing targeting of cloud services by cyber attackers. Cloud services are now considered the primary attack vector for both IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments within UK CNI sectors. Despite this growing threat, data protection remains a top concern, with 90% of organisations expressing concerns about meeting compliance requirements.
AI-driven cyber threats have also seen a rise, particularly AI-powered phishing, which is cited as the most concerning AI-driven attack vector. This is followed closely by automated hacking and AI-powered botnets. In response, 95% of UK CNI organisations are now incorporating AI-driven tools to enhance their cyber defences.
Despite the growing recognition of these threats, the report reveals a concerning gap in the maturity of cyber security strategies. While 90% of respondents believe they have a mature IT cyber security strategy, only a quarter follow best practices for cyber risk assessments. The maturity of security around OT is even lower, with just 34% of organisations rating their OT security as “very mature.”
With the continued reliance on third-party providers, supply chain vulnerabilities persist. Only 42% of organisations express confidence in their ability to handle supply chain cyber threats, and 57% reported experiencing a supply chain attack in the past year. These attacks typically involved firmware attacks, data interception, and third-party service provider breaches.
What Undercode Says:
The data presented in Bridewell’s report paints a bleak picture of the current state of cyber security within UK CNI organisations. The fact that such a large percentage of these organisations have experienced data breaches and financial losses underscores a significant issue in their current security strategies. The reliance on paying ransoms when faced with ransomware attacks points to the vulnerability and lack of preparation in many organisations. It is evident that these entities are still grappling with the speed and effectiveness of their response strategies, with a lack of swift response capability being a key area for improvement.
The increasing sophistication of cyber threats, particularly those powered by artificial intelligence, poses a significant challenge for cyber defenders. While AI-driven tools can be an asset in detecting and countering attacks, they also introduce new risks, as cyber attackers leverage similar technologies to conduct more targeted and efficient attacks. The fact that AI-powered phishing attacks are already a major concern indicates that AI is no longer a tool just for improving defences, but also one that can be weaponised by cyber criminals.
Moreover, the report’s findings on supply chain vulnerabilities reflect a long-standing issue that continues to be a critical weak point in the security of CNI organisations. The interconnectedness of organisations and the reliance on third-party vendors make these systems incredibly susceptible to breaches. Despite awareness of these vulnerabilities, many organisations are still not fully confident in their ability to handle such attacks. This gap suggests that there is a pressing need for better collaboration and communication between organisations and their third-party partners to mitigate these risks.
The report also touches on the skills gap in cyber security, which continues to be a significant barrier to improving the overall security posture of CNI organisations. While initiatives like reskilling employees and outsourcing to external partners are steps in the right direction, they are unlikely to be enough to address the growing demand for skilled cyber security professionals. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is imperative for organisations to invest in developing a highly skilled workforce that can stay ahead of emerging threats.
Fact Checker Results:
- Ransomware Payments: The finding that one-third of CNI organisations admit to paying the ransom is consistent with broader industry trends that suggest many organisations struggle with effective incident response and opt to pay ransoms as a quicker way to recover their data.
AI-Powered Threats: The rise of AI-driven threats, particularly in phishing and botnet attacks, aligns with ongoing concerns in the cybersecurity industry regarding the dual-edged nature of AI and its potential to both protect and exploit vulnerabilities.
Supply Chain Attacks: The data on supply chain vulnerabilities is supported by multiple reports that highlight how cyber criminals increasingly target third-party services as a way to infiltrate larger organisations. This underscores the need for more robust third-party risk management strategies.
References:
Reported By: https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2025/03/21/one-third-of-cni-organisations-admit-to-paying-ransomware-according-to-new-report-from-bridewell/
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