Staggering number of cyber attacks fought off by Met Office last year revealed as hackers ‘swarm it on daily basis'
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THE Met Office was one of six Government agencies hit by 15million cyber attacks last year.
Around 40,000 threats a day were fought off by the public bodies in 2024, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
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The Met Office blocked more than five million phishing emails, nearly double 2023's total.
The UK Atomic Energy Authority fended off 1.67million spam and malware messages.
There were 223,589 malicious emails to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, with another 1,111 at the Government Legal Department.
The Office for National Statistics, which retains hack records for only 90 days, blocked 485,908 emails from November to February — 5,400 a day.
The ONS also faced 15 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where a website or inbox is flooded with traffic.
But the DVLA faced an avalanche, with 7.1million attempted DDoS hits.
Malicious emails to the Cardiff-based agency also nearly tripled from 54,105 in 2023 to 153,189.
Bodies including the MoD, Home Office, HMRC and Cabinet Office refused to release data under Freedom of Information laws — saying it may hamper efforts to fight cyber crime.
It comes as several retail giants, including M&S, have been paralysed by cyber attacks.
Internet security expert Graham Cluley said: 'Britain's public sector isn't just under attack — it's being swarmed digitally on a daily basis.'
The National Cyber Security Centre said it provides advice and guidance for government partners, helping 'bolster the cyber resilience of the public sector'.
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