Dr Harjinder Singh Lallie, Director of Warwick's Cyber Security Centre, commented: "The continued reliance on what is sometimes outdated technology including systems, software, and related processes, makes the UK infrastructure increasingly susceptible to crippling cyber-attacks. As systems become older and more dated, the cost of upgrading increases exponentially in comparison with regular upgrades.

“Added to this is the growing pay and associated skills gap between the public and private sector which makes the public sector less attractive for cyber security graduates in an increasingly open market. The potential for our infrastructure to be susceptible to ransomware attacks should not therefore come as a surprise.”