About Ciaran Martin
Ciaran Liam Martin is the first CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre. Prior to joining GCHQ in February 2014, Ciaran was Constitution Director at the Cabinet Office from 2011, helping to agree the framework for the Scottish independence referendum.
Braverman and Facebook clash over private message plans
![Braverman and Facebook clash over private message plans](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/8EBF/production/_131134563_6877d2f24250b79c47ee3d74f3b665d6a0cdbfd7.jpg)
... Ciaran Martin, the former head of the National Cyber Security Centre, has previously told the BBC that scanning for child abuse content in encrypted messaging apps would involve processes that could undermine privacy for all users...
MoveIt hack: What action can data-breach victims take?
![MoveIt hack: What action can data-breach victims take?](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/2857/production/_118572301_screenshot2021-05-19at14.42.44.png)
... " The important message to organisations right now is not to panic, to install the security patch and not to pay the criminals, " former National Cyber Security Centre lead Prof Ciaran Martin says...
Minister attacks Meta boss over Facebook message encryption plan
![Minister attacks Meta boss over Facebook message encryption plan](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/F1A8/production/_129846816_gettyimages-1246185052.jpg)
... Ciaran Martin, the former head of the National Cyber Security Centre, told Today that: " Essentially it s building a door that doesn t currently exist, not into the encrypted messaging app but into devices, which could be used or misused by people who aren t interested in protecting children for more nefarious purposes...
Timeline of dissident republican activity
... Craigavon man Ciaran Martin Collins, 35, from Drumbeg, was charged with having a semi-automatic pistol in suspicious circumstances after being arrested in a car in Lurgan...
Royal Mail overseas parcels ban 'costing me hundreds of pounds'
![Royal Mail overseas parcels ban 'costing me hundreds of pounds'](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/12C09/production/_128390867_emmat.jpg)
... " Takes time to resolve Despite customers frustration, Ciaran Martin, professor at University of Oxford and former chief of the National Cyber Security Centre, told the BBC that Royal Mail was " not being unusually slow"...
Royal Mail: Overseas post still disrupted after 'cyber incident'
![Royal Mail: Overseas post still disrupted after 'cyber incident'](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/9B25/production/_128271793_gettyimages-1142889523.jpg)
... Ciaran Martin, a professor at the University of Oxford and former chief of the National Cyber Security Centre, told the BBC he believed the " incident" was down to " malicious activity"...
Scottish independence: Will indyref2 be a re-run of 2014?
![Scottish independence: Will indyref2 be a re-run of 2014?](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/1576B/production/_94951978_getty.jpg)
... But Ciaran Martin, the former senior UK civil servant who negotiated the Edinburgh Agreement which formed the basis for the 2014 referendum, now professor of government at Oxford University, draws a distinction between the political argument for Scottish self-determination and the legal case...
UK warned to bolster defences against cyber attacks as Russia threatens Ukraine
![UK warned to bolster defences against cyber attacks as Russia threatens Ukraine](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/0869/production/_123035120_976_gettyimages-1283517901.jpg)
... " If the aim is to conquer Ukraine, you don t do that with computers, " says Ciaran Martin, who ran NCSC until 2020 - an arm of the UK s intelligence, security and cyber agency, GCHQ...
MoveIt hack: What action can data-breach victims take?
By Joe TidyCyber correspondent
More than 100,000 people have been warned their personal data is in The Hands of cyber-criminals as a result of a continuing mass hack.
The Bbc , British Airways , Aer Lingus and Boots are by the MoveIt data breach.
And more organisations are expected to issue staff warnings, as the extent of The Breach is discovered.
But what action can those Caught Up in mass hacks take?
Don't panicIn the early stages of an attack such as this, The Most pressing advice is aimed at the organisations.
Hackers are not interested in going after individuals - it is too time consuming and they care about one thing only, getting paid.
And they will probably send ransom demands to the organisations breached, asking for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
" The important message to organisations right now is not to panic, to install the security patch and not to pay The Criminals , " former National Cyber Security Centre lead Prof Ciaran Martin says.
But once an organisation has been breached, the hackers have the upper hand.
And The Criminals thought to be responsible for the MoveIt hack are notoriously ruthless with their extortion techniques.
Don't payThe hackers often take time to consider their extortion tactics.
" Some prior incidents involving these criminals have seen victims not contacted until weeks after data was Stolen - so if you don't hear from them in The Coming days, you are not in clear, " Mandiant Intelligence senior manager Kimberly Goody says.
The Group , thought to be based in Russia, will then contact a company email address, demanding payment not to publish the Stolen data online, Mandiant research suggests.
These demands are usually in the seven- or eight-figure range, Mandiant experts say, But there have been ones over $35m (£28m).
And law enforcement agencies around The World advise organisations not to pay, as it fuels the growth of these criminal gangs.
Be suspiciousFor individuals, the advice is also not to panic But to be suspicious.
If your organisation refuses to pay The Criminals , there is a good chance they will publish the data on The Dark web or try to sell it to other hackers.
But there are many steps between that and you losing money.
" There really is an important message not to panic, as it's very unlikely that organisations have been storing data like full bank details which can lead directly to sort of financial harm, " Prof Martin told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme.
And although some organisations, such as British Airways , say some staff bank details have been Stolen , This Was highly unlikely to lead to individuals' bank accounts being drained.
The Risk , experts say, is from secondary attacks, where hackers use The Details they have to trick victims into revealing more details.
So the advice is to look out for suspicious emails and phone Calls - particularly ones about the hack.
Don't log inIn a typical scam, individual victims might receive a message claiming to be from their organisation, asking them to log in and verify their account because " fraudulent activity has taken place".
Things to look out for, experts say, include:
The MoveIt breach is likely to become more serious as other companies discover they have been hacked - But , experts say, data Stolen in previous hacks has been published in an obscure corner of The Dark web, with little consequence to individuals.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com