Commons Sense

House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement

Legislative proposals to counter ransomware

14 January 2025 · Home Office

Proposed by Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North

Crime & Law EnforcementScience & Technology

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

View on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Key points

  • The Government is launching a public consultation on three legislative proposals to address ransomware threats.
  • The proposals include measures to prevent ransom payments and establish mandatory reporting regimes.
  • The consultation period will last for 12 weeks to gather public feedback and improve resilience against cyber crime.

Issue summary

The statement discusses proposed legislative measures to combat ransomware threats.

Action requested

The Government is launching a public consultation for three tailored legislative proposals aimed at reducing ransomware impacts, including payment prevention and mandatory reporting regimes. The consultation will run for 12 weeks with the aim of improving resilience against cyber crime.

Key facts

  • Ransomware is identified as the greatest serious and organised cyber crime threat to the UK's national security.
  • In 2023, reported ransomware attacks reached their highest level since 2019.
  • The number of UK victims on ransomware data leak sites doubled from 2022.
  • Globally, ransomware criminals earned over $1bn in 2023.
  • 36 ransomware criminals have been sanctioned by the UK.
  • Operation CRONOS was a global collaboration to disrupt Lockbit, one of the most prolific ransomware groups.
  • The consultation will run for 12 weeks.
▸ Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy