Secrets of GCHQ’s first cyber-attack revealed 20 years after it happened

A cyber attack on the UK in 2003 prompted a paradigm shift in the nation’s security and intelligence strategy. The attack involved a phishing email and malware capable of stealing sensitive data. This incident led to GCHQ combining its signals intelligence with its cybersecurity capabilities to expose a case of cyber espionage carried out by another nation. The experience transformed cyber incident investigations and saw GCHQ’s Communications-Electronics Security Group evolve into the National Cyber Security Centre by 2016.