NCSC Annual Review 2023

Protecting our democracy in cyberspace requires a continuous effort as the cyber threat to the UK’s democratic institutions and processes is significant and comes from many malicious actors.

Over the past year, the NCSC has surged its efforts to advise on the smooth running of local elections, political party leadership contests and once-in-a-generation constitutional events such as the Coronation of His Majesty The King..

We have supported a range of entities involved in the democratic process with their responses to cyber incidents, ranging from phishing attacks to more sophisticated compromises.

And we have provided longer-term guidance for improving resilience, both across supply chains that underpin the functioning of key services and to individuals active in our democracy, such as politicians, where we have seen them being targeted.

The next general election is set to take place before the end of January 2025, with local and mayoral elections scheduled next May. The NCSC is already working with key stakeholders across government, UK parliament, the devolved administrations and legislatures, and industry to prepare for it.

When the UK goes to the polls, the act of casting your vote is completed using pencil and paper, significantly reducing the chances of a cyber actor affecting the integrity of the results.

However, the act of voting marks the end of the sprint, as a significant amount of cyber-resilience building needs to take place before this to secure the services which support our elections and the integrity of an open public discourse.

The government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce has established the Joint Election Security Preparedness unit (JESP), which takes overall responsibility for coordinating electoral security and drives the government’s election preparedness.

It plays a central role in convening government departments, the devolved administrations and legislatures, and security resources to ensure our systems and processes are resilient.

And for those who have a direct role to play, the NCSC has existing defending democracy guidance, which is currently being refreshed. We strongly encourage following the recommended steps to ensure online protections are in place.

The threat landscape has evolved significantly since the 2019 general election.

The changing geopolitical situation, especially with the war in Ukraine, has made the prospect of influencing the political discourse in democracies ever more attractive to state actors.

The emergence of state-aligned actors, who share similar goals to nation states but can act with less restraint, has created a new class of adversary for the UK to counter.

The shape-shifting rise of ransomware and extortion attacks, as outlined in a recent joint report with the National Crime Agency has emphasised the ongoing importance for public and private sector organisations to strengthen their defences – even if their involvement in running elections is indirect.

And technological developments, including artificial intelligence, are shaping at pace how we think about the security outlook.

The NCSC assesses that democratic events, such as elections, almost certainly represent attractive targets for malicious actors and so organisations and individuals need to be prepared for threats, old and new.

AI has the power to transform our society for the better, but at the NCSC we are alert to the risk that these technologies might pose from those looking to interfere or otherwise undermine trust in our democratic system.

While the UK’s use of paper voting in General Elections makes it significantly harder to interfere with our elections, the next election will be the first to take place against the backdrop of significant advances in AI. But rather than presenting entirely new risks, it is AI’s ability to enable existing techniques which poses the biggest threat.

For example: large language models will almost certainly be used to generate fabricated content, AI-created hyper-realistic bots will make the spread of disinformation easier and the manipulation of media for use in deepfake campaigns will likely become more advanced.

Any interference or attempts to undermine our political discourse are completely unacceptable and the UK government is committed to enhancing our capabilities and countering the threat from online harms, such as disinformation, and enhancing our capabilities.

However, it is important for the public to be aware that the threat landscape is changing and as with any kind of new technology, alongside realising the benefits, there is always potential for misuse. 
 

Good cyber hygiene is important for all citizens but for those who work in particularly high-risk roles or have access to sensitive data, vigilance is crucial.

One of the most notable trends we have seen over the past year is a rise in individuals’ personal accounts being targeted.

This is not a mass campaign against the public but a persistent effort to target people whom attackers consider might hold information of interest.

This kind of activity is not new. In January, the NCSC warned that Russia-based and Iran-based actors had been conducting spear-phishing campaigns against politicians, journalists, activists and other groups. However, these types of campaigns continue.

In particular, we have seen personal accounts targeted instead of corporate ones, as security is less likely to be managed in depth by a dedicated team. The NCSC has therefore expanded its work to offer more personal support to those at higher risk.

Earlier this year, we launched a new opt-in service which allows us to alert high-risk individuals directly if we identify evidence of malicious activity on their personal devices or accounts, and to swiftly advise them on steps to take to protect themselves.

Protecting individuals who carry out important roles in our democracy is a key part of improving resilience and reducing the chances for malicious actors to interfere.

However, the threat to our democracy is part of a much bigger picture, with the threats we face also posing a risk to our values shared around the world.

In cyberspace, there are no borders, and we know authoritarian governments are increasingly using cyber means to target and repress critics, dissidents, and civil society at home and abroad.

The use of cyber capabilities to undermine our freedoms is a global issue requiring an international response and as a responsible cyber actor the UK is engaging in initiatives.

Defending the UK’s democratic institutions and processes is a priority for the NCSC. However, it is not something we can achieve alone.

It requires a collective effort across the whole of society, including industry, and in partnership with allies, to defend our values and make the UK an unattractive environment for hostile actors.

Our democracy is founded on the principle of participation; every member of the public across the four nations of the UK has a stake, and everyone has a role to play in defending it.

By acting now to strengthen systems and accounts – rather than waiting until an incident occurs or an election is called – we can help make our society safer online.