The European Commission has announced plans to set up a Joint Cyber Unit to combat large-scale cyberattacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EU now views cyberattacks as a threat to national security, with the number of incidents in Europe increasing from 432 in 2019 to 756 in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A special team of multinational cyber experts will be deployed to European countries in case of major attacks, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ransomware hackers use malicious software to crack and steal an organization’s computer data – and demand money from victims to return services to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. government has recently also established a Ransomware Task Force, while the British National Cyber Security Centre warns that Ransomware represents the biggest cyber threat to Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European Commission said the ongoing ransomware attack on Ireland’s health service was a further sign that cyberattacks were a national security issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Ireland, the Health Service Executive was hit by a ransomware group called Conti, which smashed IT systems, causing major disruption to many hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim is to ensure that the Joint Cyber Unit is operational by June 2022 and fully operational by 30 June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n