Government Urged to Wake Up to 'Serious Cyber Threat' as Report Reveals Some Systems Still Run on Windows 3.1
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The Government is losing the battle to criminal gangs and hostile states to protect people's data and critical infrastructure, a report by MPs says today.
MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee call for a completely new approach to thwart growing numbers of cyber attacks and ransomware demands after a Cabinet Office commissioned independent verification report found that far more IT systems used by departments are too weak to resist attacks.
The Government estimates that risky 'legacy' IT systems make up 28% of the public sector's IT estate, and substantial gaps also remain in its understanding of the estate's resilience to attack.
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By January 2025, 319 legacy systems had been identified as in use across government, 'red'-rating around 25% as having a high likelihood and impact of risks occurring; but government does not know how many legacy systems there are altogether.
Some Government IT systems are still running on Windows 3.1 - a programme developed by Microsoft in 1992 which it stopped supporting in 2001 - 24 years ago.
Under the last Conservative Government it was hoped that the system would be secure by the end of this year but it is now estimated that Government and the wider public sector will have to wait until 2030 for full protection.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Tory Chair of the Committee, said: "Government Departments are beginning to wake up to the serious cyber threat they face. It is positive to see independent verification now in place to gain a better picture on critical systems resilience.
"Unfortunately, this has only served to confirm that our battlements are crumbling. A serious cyberattack is not some abstract event taking place in the digital sphere. The British Library cyberattack is a prime example of the long-lasting cost and disruption that these events can cause. Hostile states and criminals have the ability to do serious and lasting harm to our nation and people's lives.
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"If the Government is to meet its own ambition to harden resilience in the wider public sector, a fundamental step change will be required.
To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis.
Help us build the better media Britain deserves
The Government is losing the battle to criminal gangs and hostile states to protect people's data and critical infrastructure, a report by MPs says today.
MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee call for a completely new approach to thwart growing numbers of cyber attacks and ransomware demands after a Cabinet Office commissioned independent verification report found that far more IT systems used by departments are too weak to resist attacks.
The Government estimates that risky 'legacy' IT systems make up 28% of the public sector's IT estate, and substantial gaps also remain in its understanding of the estate's resilience to attack.
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Starmer had pledged to end the "outrageous way government departments refuse freedom of information requests".
Iain Overton
By January 2025, 319 legacy systems had been identified as in use across government, 'red'-rating around 25% as having a high likelihood and impact of risks occurring; but government does not know how many legacy systems there are altogether.
Some Government IT systems are still running on Windows 3.1 - a programme developed by Microsoft in 1992 which it stopped supporting in 2001 - 24 years ago.
Under the last Conservative Government it was hoped that the system would be secure by the end of this year but it is now estimated that Government and the wider public sector will have to wait until 2030 for full protection.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Tory Chair of the Committee, said: "Government Departments are beginning to wake up to the serious cyber threat they face. It is positive to see independent verification now in place to gain a better picture on critical systems resilience.
"Unfortunately, this has only served to confirm that our battlements are crumbling. A serious cyberattack is not some abstract event taking place in the digital sphere. The British Library cyberattack is a prime example of the long-lasting cost and disruption that these events can cause. Hostile states and criminals have the ability to do serious and lasting harm to our nation and people's lives.
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Repeated promises to clean up the scandal of homes covered in highly dangerous flammable cladding are still not being met, warn MPs
David Hencke
"If the Government is to meet its own ambition to harden resilience in the wider public sector, a fundamental step change will be required.
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