The threat to cyber security - and what you can do to stop it

A hacker targeting your bank account can do so as easily from eastern Europe as they can from Carlisle, Barrow or Workington.

Add to this the threat faced by public organisations with direct impact on our lives - and the danger posed online by outside forces becomes clearer.

Allerdale, Barrow and Copeland councils have all been hit by cyber attacks.

Cumbria's NHS trusts were among those that fell victim to a worldwide virus last year.

Now online assaults are national headline news again, with reports full of the perceived threat of "malicious cyber activity" by Russia.

Britain and the US have issued a formal alert, setting out the threat across the public and private sectors.

Much of this threat in the UK is said to centre on government bodies and critical national infrastructure.

But US officials said everything "from large enterprises to small home offices" could be affected.

Whatever the real threat, politicians and experts are taking the situation seriously.

Stuart Hyde, a digital crime specialist best known for his time as chief constable of Cumbria, pointed out people were still central to the dangers.
Stuart Hyde

He said hackers hit their targets when human error is made.

"That is probably the biggest threat, people making silly mistakes," said Mr Hyde.

He encourages sensible cyber security for people at home as well as those working in larger organisations.

Mr Hyde added: "Yes, it is possible that a foreign state could have a go at our key national infrastructure.

"Government bodies are doing an awful of of work to identify threats and prevent where they are coming from.

"But I think for your average person it is just about being aware of things that come in that don't look right.

"The police can only be one small element of this. People do need to protect themselves.

"You wouldn't park your car full of goods in the high street with all the doors unlocked.

"It's the everyday things people do: you put the bike lock on, you hide things in the boot.

"We already take these steps in relation to the real world. Why not do it in the online world?"

Mr Hyde said it was highly unlikely someone was going to get an email or a friend request from someone who could easily be identified as being from a foreign state.

"What's more than likely to happen is you might get friend requests or emails from sources that are a bit strange," he added.

"Most of these will be picked up in spam anyway and a lot of them will be taken off your server before they can even get to you.

"But people shouldn't let their guard down."

He said there was a mass of information out there on how to protect yourself online, covering everyone from home users to small businesses to larger organisations.

Mr Hyde added anyone attempting to hack would not have to worry about national barriers.

"They can cause as much problems from abroad as somebody who is operating from our own country," he added.

Officials issuing the UK and US alert said the move had been planned for "some time" and was not directly related to the US-led missiles strikes over the weekend on Russia's ally Syria.

The White House vowed to use "all elements of national power" to combat the threat.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov It came as Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov warned east-west relations are now worse than during the Cold War following the Syria strikes and the bitter diplomatic row over the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

A joint UK-US statement said the state of US and UK network devices, coupled with a Russian government campaign to exploit these devices, "threatens our respective safety, security and economic well-being".

County politicians say they are aware of the threat and the need for everyone to be on their guard.

Rory Stewart is the minister of state for the Ministry of Justice and the MP for Penrith and the Border.

He urged vigilance but said Russia would be wary of the UK.

"Russia will now be increasingly clear that Britain and its allies respond," he added.
Rory Stewart

"(Russian president) Vladimir Putin is very opportunistic and he tends to target people who he thinks will not respond.

"Now Russia will think very carefully before committing a cyber attack against Britain."

Carlisle's MP, John Stevenson, echoed the need to be on guard.

He said: "We should always be vigilant about any sort of threat - terrorism or cyber.

"We know the Russians are active, so we have to recognise them as a potential threat."

Trudy Harrison Copeland MP Trudy Harrison said: "We need to be more vigilant than ever.

"In particular, I hope that organisations such as the NHS and our national infrastructure organisations and projects have got the support they need."

Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale and the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, also spoke on the issue.

He said: "A cyber attack has the potential to be highly disruptive to bank accounts, energy and utility companies and is really quite significant.

"We have got to be very careful about all of this. Russia has no justification to do anything like this.

"We need to remember that security means more than just physical security from an aggressor, it is cyber security as well."

Last autumn NHS chiefs across Cumbria said the county's health system would be more resilient than ever should a second major cyber attack strike.

All three of the county's hospital and health trusts were among the most badly hit by the global WannaCry virus, which crippled the NHS in May last year.

It encrypted vital computer systems used for scans and X-rays and the reporting of test results, demanding a ransome payable in Bitcoin in return for access.

But those in charge of the trusts said their systems were robust and should withstand further attacks.

A government investigation into the attack stated 37 trusts across the country fell victim to the WannaCry virus, resulting in at least 6,912 appointments cancelled nationwide.

Top tips to beef up your cyber security against online criminals

* Get a strong password. Random combinations of words, letters or digits are much more impenetrable to hackers than your surname followed by 123.

* Be aware of how much information you are already giving away on social media. If everyone already knows your home city or mother's maiden name, these are not good security questions.

* Install anti-virus software on your laptop or PC. Attempting to prevent an attack will save you hours of time and plenty of stress in the long run.

* Be vigilant against phishing emails. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated in the way they attempt to get us to click on a link to a virus. Many now look authentic but are not really from your bank or online account.