Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what risks to (a) employees and (b) the wider population were identified following cyber crimes against Government departments in the last 12 months.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This Government is committed to protecting citizens and public services from the ever-evolving cyber threat.
As set out in the 2023 National Risk Register, cyber attacks on the UK’s transport, health and social care, and telecommunications systems were identified amongst the most serious risks currently facing the UK. In addition, in this year’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Annual Review, data theft - either through ransomware or the exploitation of vulnerabilities in public-facing apps - and cyber-enabled fraud remain some of the most acute cyber threats facing UK businesses and citizens. For example, between September 2022 and August 2023, the NCSC received 297 reports of ransomware activity and 327 incidents involving the exfiltration of data.
The Government takes data protection very seriously and we understand that data breaches are a matter of great concern to those whose data may have been exposed in a cyber attack. It is the responsibility of organisations affected to meet their statutory obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding notifying the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the individuals affected of certain personal data breaches.
It would not be appropriate to comment on specific cyber incidents for national security reasons. However, the Government has already taken significant steps to reduce the risks identified and to strengthen our cyber defences.
The Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022 sets out our plans to significantly harden the Government’s critical functions against cyber attack by 2025, with all organisations across the public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities by 2030. Alongside this, the National Cyber Strategy 2022 sets out our approach to tackling cyber threats against the wider population, including by better detecting, disrupting and deterring malicious cyber actors and embedding good cyber security practices and protections at national, organisation and citizen level.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) immediate, and (2) long-term, assistance they are providing to the British Library in the aftermath of the recent ransomware attack, to ensure the recovery of compromised data, and the implementation of measures to enhance the Library's cybersecurity resilience.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.
The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.
The central aim of the Government Cyber Security Strategy is to ensure that Government’s critical functions are strengthened against cyber attack by 2025, and that all Government organisations across the public sector are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030. As the sponsor Department for the British Library, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work closely with the Library to enhance its overall cyber resilience and ensure these targets are met.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support enhancements to the British Library's digital infrastructure and implement robust security measures to prevent future ransomware attacks.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.
The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.
The central aim of the Government Cyber Security Strategy is to ensure that Government’s critical functions are strengthened against cyber attack by 2025, and that all Government organisations across the public sector are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030. As the sponsor Department for the British Library, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work closely with the Library to enhance its overall cyber resilience and ensure these targets are met.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they can facilitate information sharing and co-operation between intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and cultural institutions like the British Library to enhance collective cybersecurity efforts and response capabilities.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The central aim of the Government Cyber Security Strategy is to ensure Government’s critical functions are strengthened against cyber attack by 2025, and that all Government organisations across the public sector are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030. One of the two core pillars of this strategy is ‘Defend as One’, which focuses on Government organisations sharing cyber security data, expertise, and capabilities to present a defensive force more powerful than the sum of its parts. Since the strategy was first introduced in 2022, ensuring a more co-operative approach to security and intelligence has been a priority.
The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.
As the sponsor Department for the British Library, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work closely with the Library to enhance its overall cyber resilience and ensure that the targets set out in the Cyber Security Strategy are met.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide financial support to the British Library to recover from the ransomware attack and ensure the restoration of its data and systems.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates, including on the financial impacts of the attack.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the security and privacy of patient data transmitted through Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology/components, including implications for patient data, under close review as part of its overall approach to security, and in line with Government Security Group, National Protective Security Authority and National Cyber Security Centre guidance. The Data Security and Protection Toolkit, which sets the cyber security standard for health and care organisations, sets out expectations regarding organisations using appropriate technical controls, such as encryption, to protect data.
The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative companies within the United Kingdom. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify the Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community. The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194820 on Smart Devices: China, which areas of the transport sector employ cellular internet of things module technology as of 22 November 2023.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A cellular internet of things (IoT) device can be considered to be a low-power device with long battery life, which sends small amounts of data on an infrequent basis. The UK’s transport sector currently employs only a limited amount of devices that match this specification. As mobile network operators upgrade their networks, new low-power wide-area networks are emerging that have been developed to enable a wide range of IoT devices and services as part of the continued development and roll out of 5G connectivity.
Lead Government Departments, informed by threat assessments from a range of organisations, are responsible for leading work to determine national security risks to critical national infrastructure in their sectors. This is done in collaboration with partners including the National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority as UK national technical authorities for cyber and physical security.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194820 on Smart Devices: China, which agency is responsible for monitoring the potential security threat posed by Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules in critical infrastructure.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Lead Government Departments, informed by threat assessments from a range of organisations, are responsible for leading work to determine national security risks to critical national infrastructure in their sectors. This is done in collaboration with partners including the National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority as UK national technical authorities for cyber and physical security.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cyber-attack against the British Library at the end of October 2023 on the public’s access to learning and research materials.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.
The British Library’s physical sites remain open to the public and are offering a range of services, including reading room access for personal study, some limited manual collection item ordering, exhibitions, learning events, business support, and onsite retail. Details of what the public can access are available via the British Library’s social media channels.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to help secure the restoration of the British Library’s services following the recent cyber-attack against it; and what estimate her Department has made of the date by which those services will be restored.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.
The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.
The British Library’s physical sites remain open to the public and are offering a range of services, including reading room access for personal study, some limited manual collection item ordering, exhibitions, learning events, business support, and onsite retail. Details of what the public can access are available via the British Library’s social media channels.
It is too soon to give an exact timetable but the British Library anticipates restoring many digital services in the next few weeks, although some disruption may persist for longer.