National Cyber Security Centre 

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Latest news on the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK's cyber security agency and part of GCHQ, covering NCSC advisories, NCSC guidance, cyber threat warnings, incident response, ransomware advice, Active Cyber Defence, state-backed hackers, the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, CYBERUK and the NCSC Annual Review, with warnings for organisations across the United Kingdom, Britain and British businesses.

The National Cyber Security Centre is the UK's national technical authority for cyber security and is part of GCHQ. It was announced in November 2015, began work in October 2016 and is based in London. It gives guidance to businesses, the public sector and individuals, and it leads the UK's response when major cyber incidents occur.

Recent NCSC activity includes a joint advisory of 15 September 2026, with US and Dutch partners, on Iranian state-linked spyware used against dissidents, activists and journalists. On 8 October 2026 the NCSC and agencies in several other countries published an advisory naming a China-based company, Integrity Technology Group, as an enabler of hacking campaigns. The centre marked its tenth anniversary in October 2026 with a message from the King.

The NCSC runs a set of Active Cyber Defence services, including Mail Check, Web Check, Protective DNS, Exercise in a Box and a Takedown Service. Its Suspicious Email Reporting Service launched on 21 April 2020, built with the City of London Police, so that the public can forward scam emails. It also publishes advice for small businesses on ransomware and hosts the CYBERUK conference.

The NCSC works alongside GCHQ, MI5, the police and international partners, and often publishes advisories jointly with agencies in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Its first chief executive, Ciaran Martin, led it from 2016 to 2020. Attributions to states are made by governments and are sometimes denied by those named, as North Korea did over WannaCry. The NCSC Annual Review reports on the nationally significant incidents the centre has handled.

The NCSC was formed by bringing together CESG, CERT UK, the Centre for Cyber Assessment and the cyber responsibilities of the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, and Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the centre on 14 February 2017. That year the WannaCry ransomware outbreak disrupted at least 81 NHS trusts in England, and the government later said it believed North Korea was responsible.

For anyone who relies on British networks and services, keeping up with official guidance is a core part of cyber security. Our NewsNow National Cyber Security Centre feed brings together the latest UK headlines on the NCSC and GCHQ, including advisories, guidance, incident response and cyber threat warnings, from reliable sources worldwide, so you have a comprehensive, up-to-date view.