UK cyber spies took down 15-times more scams during pandemic

British cyber security agency reports that cybercrime shot up 15-fold compared to 2020, as hackers took advantage of pandemic and Brexit panic. — AFP

Criminals launched more websites to trick people into giving up data, downloading malware and sending them money during 2020, taking advantage of pandemic lockdown by pretending to be celebrities, shops and government agencies, according to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre.

The NCSC took down 700,595 malicious campaigns last year, 15-times more than a year earlier as the number of scams increased and the service began targeting new types of activity, the agency said in a report published on Monday. Attacks were also active for longer on average, the agency said.