Email Security & Phishing: Email continues to be the lifeblood of corporate communication – and the favorite target of attackers. UK enterprises see email threats as a top concern, since phishing is implicated in the vast majority of breaches. Phishing emails today go beyond the classic Nigerian prince scam; many are highly sophisticated, tailored to the target (spear phishing) and sometimes even AI-generated for realism. Attackers might scrape LinkedIn or use leaked personal data to craft messages that appear legitimate. Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes have cost UK firms millions – attackers trick employees into wiring funds or sending sensitive files by impersonating suppliers or executives. Unlike mass spam, BEC attacks are low-volume and precisely targeted, making them harder to detect. To combat these, large companies are investing in advanced email filtering, threat intelligence, and ongoing user education. There’s cautious optimism, as 84% of UK CISOs believe their employees now understand their role in protecting the organisation (thanks to phishing awareness training and simulations). However, the threat is unrelenting: new phishing techniques like smishing/vishing (SMS and voice phishing) are on the rise, and even tech-savvy users can be fooled by a well-crafted fake email or call. The use of deepfake audio in phone scams (as in the case of the AI-generated CEO voice) is an alarming trend that blurs the line between email and voice fraud. Consequently, CISOs are implementing multi-factor authentication and verification policies (e.g. requiring callbacks or secondary confirmation for fund transfer requests) to add layers of defense against email-based fraud.

• Ransomware Trends: Ransomware is such a dominant threat that it merits special focus for large organisations. Over the past few years, ransomware attacks have evolved from simple encryption hold-ups into complex data heists and extortion campaigns. UK companies across all sectors – from finance to healthcare to manufacturing – have been targeted. In sectors like manufacturing, ransomware hit 34% of businesses in 2023, and that proportion is projected to rise to 42% in 2024. Attackers are increasingly using “ransomware as a service” models, where affiliate gangs purchase ready-made ransomware kits (sometimes with AI enhancements to evade security) and share profits with the developers. They typically infiltrate via phishing or exposed remote access services, then spread silently, targeting backups and exfiltrating data before triggering the encryption. The impact on large enterprises is severe: operations may be disrupted worldwide, sensitive data (including personal data under GDPR) can be leaked, and recovery is expensive. Many UK firms have cyber insurance, but policies are evolving with stricter requirements and not all costs are covered. Notably, 60% of UK CISOs believe their organisation would consider paying a ransom to restore systems and prevent data release, although this is down from 75% the year before. Law enforcement (and the NCSC) advise against paying ransoms, as it can encourage further attacks, but in practice some companies feel they have no choice when customer data or critical services hang in the balance. CISOs are focusing on resilience measures: maintaining reliable offline backups, practicing incident response drills, and implementing network segmentation to contain the blast radius of a ransomware outbreak. Yet, the ransomware threat is growing in sophistication – recent strains incorporate AI to dynamically thwart endpoint defenses, and attackers often time their strikes (e.g. weekends or holidays) for maximum damage. This threat landscape means CISOs must keep ransomware at the top of their risk register and ensure the entire organization (from the server room to the boardroom) is prepared to respond to an attack.

• Double Extortion and Data Leaks: A significant trend in ransomware is the move to double extortion. Attackers not only encrypt files but also steal large volumes of data and threaten to publish it if the ransom isn’t paid. For UK companies, this turns a cybersecurity incident into a data breach crisis – involving legal, regulatory, and public relations responses. GDPR mandates breach disclosure to authorities and possibly to affected individuals if personal data is leaked, so a ransomware attack now often triggers regulatory scrutiny as well. The prospect of leaked trade secrets or customer information can drive some firms to pay ransoms even if they could restore from backup. In 2024, about 80% of UK CISOs said they would rely on cyber insurance to cover ransomware losses, reflecting how prevalent and costly these incidents have become. CISOs are therefore not only trying to prevent ransomware intrusions, but also limiting impact by encrypting data at rest (so stolen files are useless to extortionists) and carefully controlling access (to prevent one compromised account from accessing terabytes of data). They are also working closely with legal and compliance teams to formulate breach response plans in advance. The battle against ransomware is as much about preparation and response as it is about prevention, given that attackers constantly find new ways in.

• Continuous User Awareness: Both phishing and ransomware often start by exploiting human factors, so user awareness remains a core defense. Large UK companies conduct regular security awareness training, phishing email drills, and strict policies (like forbidding unknown USB drives or requiring verification for unusual requests). The culture is slowly shifting – employees are more alert to suspicious emails or links now than a few years ago. Still, attackers adapt their lures to current events (e.g. fake delivery notices, pandemic-related scams, or urgent-looking messages from “IT support”). CISOs also have to combat “alert fatigue”: with so many warnings about cyber threats, staff might become desensitised. Thus, training content must be engaging and updated frequently with real examples. Metrics from these programs (like reporting rates of fake phish vs. click rates) help gauge where more education is needed. Given that email and ransomware threats are here to stay, fostering a vigilant workforce is one of the most effective ways for CISOs in the UK to reduce risk.