For the people trying to shield UK companies and infrastructure from cyber attacks, this has already been a year to forget. Some of Britain’s biggest brands — Jaguar Land Rover, Marks and Spencer, Harrods, the Co-op group — have been badly hit. The government is rightly concerned that cyber criminals, who have in the past struck at public bodies such as the NHS and the British Library, will turn their malign attention again to precious national assets. 

The Home Office is considering imposing what would be the world’s first legislation barring owners and operators of critical national infrastructure from paying ransoms to hackers. Critics warn such a measure could have severe unintended consequences. It might even present managers with a choice: break the law or trigger the collapse of vital services. 

Cyber crime is a vast and growing problem. It is unacceptable that criminals, often operating from another country, should have free rein to extort money from any enterprise, let alone disable the operations of an NHS or a National Grid, endangering lives. But the government should tread carefully.