Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make additional resources available to the National Cyber Security Centre to address any rise in cybercrime linked to COVID-19; and, if so, what those resources will be.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is deploying its full range of capabilities in tackling the cyber threat during the Covid-19 crisis.

The NCSC, National Crime Agency and partners in the UK and overseas are working together to tackle cyber threats, publishing guidance and identifying and removing malicious sites. This includes working closely with the NHS to keep their systems and the healthcare sector safe as we see a greater demand on their services during this period. We are able to draw upon these resources, because of the implementation of the 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy.

The Covid-19 crisis means that the UK is now more reliant on home working and online services than ever before. In April, the NCSC, alongside Cabinet Office, DCMS and Home Office relaunched the Cyber Aware campaign, which advises the public of the simple steps they can take to protect themselves online.

We recognise the importance of not losing momentum on our response to cyber security and of continuing to build on the capabilities we have developed; this will be considered as part of the Government's next Spending Review.