Government Networks

• Cybercriminals can attack government networks to gain access to secret information about the country or dealings with other countries
• Some cyberattacks are targeted at a country's critical infrastructure such as powerplans, transport system networks, water treatment plants etc.

Example

• May 2017 - Cyber-attack on NHS affected hospitals and GPsurgeries across England and in Scotland
• UK PM Theresa May said the NHS incident is part of a wider cyber-attack affecting organisations and countries around the world
• Ransomware spreads through emails

Impact

• Healthcare services disrupted and British citizens unhappy with the slow response of the government
• All computers should be switched off as soon as the attack began but many were told that it was safe to restart their computers
  • Resulted in further spreading of the virus
• Causes inconvenience or financial loss to its victim, but in this case it may cause loss of lives