His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has blocked more than 100 million malicious emails over the past three years, as the scale and sophistication of cyber threats facing UK government departments continues to escalate.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, reveal a sharp rise in attempted email attacks targeting HMRC systems, underlining the persistent risk to critical national infrastructure.
Between November 2021 and October 2022, HMRC blocked 23.7 million malicious emails. That figure rose sharply to 40.3 million between November 2022 and October 2023, and a further 40.9 million were blocked in the following 11 months, up to September 2024.
In total, 105 million malicious emails were intercepted by HMRC’s security systems over the three-year period.
A growing and relentless threat
Cybersecurity experts say the scale of attempted attacks demonstrates the relentless nature of cybercriminal activity and the need for a proactive, robust defence posture.
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