The European Commission has announced plans to set up a Joint Cyber Unit to combat large-scale cyberattacks.
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.
A special team of multinational cyber experts will be deployed to European countries in case of major attacks, it said.
Ransomware hackers use malicious software to crack and steal an organization’s computer data – and demand money from victims to return services to normal.
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.
The European Commission said the ongoing ransomware attack on Ireland’s health service was a further sign that cyberattacks were a national security issue.
In Ireland, the Health Service Executive was hit by a ransomware group called Conti, which smashed IT systems, causing major disruption to many hospitals.
The aim is to ensure that the Joint Cyber Unit is operational by June 2022 and fully operational by 30 June 2023.
For more information, read the original story in the BBC.