Targeted Policy Action Against Ransomware Attacks Emerging As A Key Global Cybersecurity Trend

As digitalization has become more ubiquitous and attacks surfaces widened, the number of cyberattacks have correspondingly increased. In 2024, ransomware attacks in particular grew in their frequency and impact. In an effort to enact more stringent policy approaches, governments introduced over 170 data protection laws between 2023 and 2024. With not a single company immune from these regulatory winds, industry must keep a close watch.

New Proposals for Addressing Cybercrime in the UK

On January 14, 2025, the United Kingdom published three proposals to address the growing threat of cybercrime, specifically ransomware payments. If passed, these proposals would extend an existing rule that bans government entities from making ransomware payments, to include public sector bodies and critical national infrastructure entities. This initiative is designed to make such targets less attractive to cybercriminals, and according to the UK government, aims to "strike at the