Security News > 2021 > October > GCHQ director outlines plan to 'go after' links between ransomware crims and state actors

The UK's Government Communications Headquarters boss Sir Jeremy Fleming has outlined a plan to pursue criminal actors who deploy ransomware as well as the state actors that are aware of their efforts.

Speaking remotely to The Cipher Brief Annual Threat Conference on Monday, Fleming discussed the increasing threat of cybercrime - in particular ransomware - and GCHQ's strategy to reduce threats.

"We have to be clear on the red lines and behaviours that we want to see. We've got to go after those links between criminal actors and state actors and impose costs," Fleming argued, in order to make ransomware and other cybercrime less profitable.

Fleming revealed that GCHQ is not afraid to go on the offensive in pursuit of that goal, but added "We're quite a long way off really addressing the profit model which is making this just so easy for criminals to exploit at the moment."

In wide-ranging remarks, Fleming described the current geopolitical situation as offering what he called a "Moment of reckoning" that represents a chance for "Like-minded Western liberal nations to make sure that the technologies on which we all rely encompass our values, are secured by design, have been subject to the standards and regulations that we approve of, because we think that they do promote our prosperity and our values."

"If you think that the changes we've seen from coronavirus are significant wait till you see the way in which machine learning and AI are going to affect our labour markets," Fleming explained, adding that any approach to AI needs to include an understanding that China and other countries are doing well in the development of AI capabilities.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/10/26/gchq_ransomware_plan/