- NCSC Share and Defend Service Blocked 1 Billion Visits to Malicious Sites in Less Than a Year
- The tool aggregates threat information and protective DNS data, allowing ISPs to block harmful domains in real time.
- Ransomware attacks in the UK doubled year on year; Cyber insurance claims increased 230%, prompting new National Cyber Action Plan
In just under 12 months, UK internet users attempted to access malicious websites one billion times. Fortunately, a new NCSC tool called the “Share and Defend Service” prevented that from happening, effectively saving people from compromised accounts, stolen data, and lost money.
This is according to a new report published by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and BT, published earlier this week. Share and Defend was first announced in May last year and works by combining data from threat intelligence providers, NCSC Protective DNS (PDNS), takedown services, and other sources.
Information about malicious domains and dangerous landing pages is shared with Internet service providers, managed service providers and other communication companies, which can block access to them in real time.
Business plan coming soon first
Otherwise, these billion clicks would land on fake e-commerce stores, spoofed login pages, and other malicious links.
“This shows that we are making Britain a difficult target for cybercriminals by protecting businesses and citizens every day,” said Security Minister Dan Jarvis.
Since most email security services today filter out malicious attachments, cybercriminals have generally switched to sharing URLs, which are easier to hide. These URLs can be anything from fake login pages that pass credentials to attackers to fake download pages that deliver data stealers and ransomware instead of legitimate software.
According to Cybernews, between August 2024 and 2025, there were more than 200 ransomware attacks “of national significance” in the UK, more than double the previous year (89 incidents). Some of the biggest names that will be affected include Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Jaguar Land Rover. The same source also claims that cyber insurance claims increased by 230% year-on-year, suggesting that companies are increasingly charging more after being affected.
Apparently, the United Kingdom will present a National Cyber Action Plan in a few weeks, which should prioritize companies.
Through cyber news
The best antivirus for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
