When most people imagine cyber attacks, they picture sophisticated and skilled hackers executing complex, high profile operations. The reality is very different. The barrier to entry for attackers is lower than it’s ever been.

The UK Government has confirmed that it will move forward with legislation banning ransomware payments across public sector organisations and operators of critical national infrastructure. This policy shift follows a public consultation conducted earlier this year, in which 72% of respondents supported the proposal. Among public sector and CNI respondents specifically, that number rose to 82%.

Even well funded UK financial services firms, armed with sophisticated tools, healthy budgets, and expert teams, often find themselves uncertain whether their threat intelligence tooling is genuinely paying off. You may ask: “We’ve invested so much. Why isn’t it working? Where is the actionable insight?” The answer often lies in strategy, not spending.