A new centre to help prevent cyber attacks in the UK has been opened in Gloucester. The UK Cyber Security Centre is part of a £3m investment by the aerospace company Lockheed Martin.
90 people will work there alongside the government on delivering what it describes as "cutting edge capabilities" against cyber attacks.
Deon Viergutz, Vice President of Cyber Solutions at Lockheed Martin told ITV West Country that keeping up with the hackers is a daily challenge.
Cyber crime attacks are becoming more common.
Marcus Hutchins, aka 'Malware Tech' foiled a ransomware attack on the NHS. Credit: ITV West Country
Earlier this year, Marcus Hutchins, a cyber researcher from Devon, foiled a ransomware attack which crippled NHS computers and organisations around the world, hitting more than 150 countries.
He did it by ingeniously spotting a flaw in the virus code which meant that registering a certain web address would stop it in its tracks.
This hair salon in Cheltenham was hit by a cyber attack last year. Credit: ITV West Country
Cyber attacks are often run by criminals, extorting money by taking over computers and encrypting data. Last summer, a hairdressing salon in Cheltenham suffered just such an attack. They had to pay almost £2,000 to unlock the encrypted files.
An example of a ransomware attack. Credit: ITV West Country
But organisations are fighting back, desperate to get on top of a problem in which criminals or even rogue nations, can mount an attack using just a computer and keyboard.
