U.K. Repelled 658 Cyber Attacks This Year, Many From Hostile Foreign States

The National Cyber Security Centre defended the U.K. from 658 cyber attacks in the year to October — many from hostile foreign states — with government departments most at risk from attack, according to its annual report.

The organization revealed:

• The NCSC meets with political parties every three months and regularly gives cyber security advice to members of Parliament and guidance on electoral fraud
• Sectors most at risk of fraudulent hacking include the government, universities, information technology, health care and transport
• Most-hacked passwords used by individuals include numbers — with “123456” hacked 23.2 million times. Of Premier League soccer team names used as passwords, “Liverpool” was the most frequently hacked, and of fictional characters, “Superman’ is the most likely to be bypassed