Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Company Cyber Security Posture
www.gov.ukThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on environmental, food and rural issues. We are responsible for policy and regulations on: - the natural environment, biodiversity, plants and animals - sustainable development and the green economy - food, farming and fisheries - animal health and welfare - environmental protection and pollution control - rural communities and issues Although we only work directly in England, we work closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and we generally lead on negotiations in the EU and internationally. Read more about the Department, including key facts and figures, our priorities and objectives on our website.
DEFRA Company Details
defra
6125 employees
148883.0
922
Government Administration
www.gov.uk
Scan still pending
DEP_2502274
In-progress
DEFRA Risk Score (AI oriented)Between 900 and 1000
This score is AI-generated and less favored by cyber insurers, who prefer the TPRM score.
DEFRA Global Score.png)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Company Scoring based on AI Models
| Model Name | Date | Description | Current Score Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVERAGE-Industry | 03-12-2025 | This score represents the average cybersecurity rating of companies already scanned within the same industry. It provides a benchmark to compare an individual company's security posture against its industry peers. | N/A | Between 900 and 1000 |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Company Cyber Security News & History
| Entity | Type | Severity | Impact | Seen | Url ID | Details | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government Legal Department | Breach | 70 | 3 | 08/2022 | GOV1527121122 | Link | |
Rankiteo Explanation : Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaksDescription: The Government Legal Department launched an investigation after it suffereda data leak in which the names of civil servants claiming expenses was published online. Documents showing officials' names were published on GOV.UK accidentally. It also contained the credit-card spend at the department of more than £500 between November 2021 and May 2022. | |||||||
| UK Ministry of Defence | Breach | 25 | 2 | 10/2011 | UKM747271222 | Link | |
Rankiteo Explanation : Attack limited on finance or reputationDescription: The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) was once more at the center of a security breach that resulted in the online exposure of classified weapon information. Due to an error in the blacking out of certain portions of a document put online in April 2011, the MoD briefly disclosed secret information regarding nuclear submarines on its website. A quick cut-and-paste operation made it possible to read the large parts that dealt with the flaws in modern submarines that were blacked out. | |||||||
| HMRC | Breach | 50 | 6/2025 | HMR745060625 | Link | ||
Rankiteo Explanation : Attack limited on finance or reputation: Loss of bank statements, self-assessment details, and other people's National Insurance numbersDescription: Organized crime has extracted £47 million from the UK government in a phishing operation. The operation involved mimicking taxpayer credentials and claiming payments from HMRC. No data from taxpayers was taken, but the incident has affected 100,000 Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) accounts. Authorities have begun a criminal investigation, and arrests have been made. The £47 million was taken through three separate payments, and HMRC was able to protect £1.9 million that was sought by the entities behind the operation. | |||||||
| National Crime Agency (NCA) | Cyber Attack | 100 | 6 | 09/2015 | NAT233920422 | Link | |
Rankiteo Explanation : Attack threatening the economy of a geographical regionDescription: The website of the National Crime Agency was targeted by the Lizard Squad hackers which left the site inaccessible for some time. The websites or servers are flooded with requests for data and were attacked with a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The attack disturbed the normal functioning of NCA. | |||||||
| UK Home Office | Cyber Attack | 100 | 6 | 08/2015 | UKH222823422 | Link | |
Rankiteo Explanation : Attack threatening the economy of a geographical regionDescription: The government websites and the websites used by the FBI in the UK were targeted by a group of teenage hackers in a cyber attack. They also targeted the heavily used” Home Office website which provides information about various subjects including passports and immigration back in 2013. All the members of the group were identified in the investigation and then were charged with various charges. | |||||||
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Cyber Attack | 100 | 5 | 01/2023 | DEP225811123 | Link | |
Rankiteo Explanation : Attack threatening the organization's existenceDescription: The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website in the U.K. fell victim to a redirect attack in which the cybercriminals used an open redirect to send visitors to fake OnlyFans pages. Threat actors exploited an open redirect that appeared to be a valid UK government URL but instead routed visitors to the bogus OnlyFans dating site. The website widely used services that offer users access to adult content for a subscription so they could steal users’ personal information. | |||||||
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Company Subsidiaries
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on environmental, food and rural issues. We are responsible for policy and regulations on: - the natural environment, biodiversity, plants and animals - sustainable development and the green economy - food, farming and fisheries - animal health and welfare - environmental protection and pollution control - rural communities and issues Although we only work directly in England, we work closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and we generally lead on negotiations in the EU and internationally. Read more about the Department, including key facts and figures, our priorities and objectives on our website.
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DEFRA Cyber Security News
Culture, security and radioactive waste: challenges abound for nuclear-powered data centres
Westminster has relaxed planning laws for a new type of nuclear reactor. But challenges loom for the developers of these projects.
Al Qaida terrorists tried to poison UK water supply, says ex-security minister
An al Qaida militant cell sought to poison London's water supplies but were thwarted by the security services, a former counter-terrorism ...
UK drinking water supplies disrupted by record number of undisclosed cyber incidents
A record number of cyber incidents impacted Britain's critical drinking water supplies this year without being publicly disclosed, ...
Defra seeks trio of suppliers for £5m deal to test cyber defences
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is planning a multimillion-pound deal for specialist suppliers to test the cyber defences ...
Record cyber attacks affecting UK water supplies, study shows
A record number of cases having affected drinking water supplies in 202 without being publicly disclosed.
Scaling Innovative Food Systems Solutions and Climate Actions for Food and Nutrition Security in Asia and the Pacific
ADB plans to outline its pathways for making Asia's food systems resilient, inclusive and sustainable, highlighting priority programs to address the nexus ...
Atos selected by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as its future end user services provider
Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has been selected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to ...
UK farmers forced to cut food production to stay viable, warns NFU
Terrible harvest and falling subsidies force businesses to embrace greener alternatives, says Tom Bradshaw.
Responding to climate change and improving the natural environment – a part for everyone in creating the conditions for success?
Responding to climate change and improving the natural environment – a part for everyone in creating the conditions for success? · Leadership.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Cybersecurity Incidents
DEFRA CyberSecurity History Information
Total Incidents: According to Rankiteo, DEFRA has faced 6 incidents in the past.
Incident Types: The types of cybersecurity incidents that have occurred include ['Cyber Attack', 'Breach'].
Total Financial Loss: The total financial loss from these incidents is estimated to be {total_financial_loss}.
Cybersecurity Posture: The company's overall cybersecurity posture is described as The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on environmental, food and rural issues. We are responsible for policy and regulations on: - the natural environment, biodiversity, plants and animals - sustainable development and the green economy - food, farming and fisheries - animal health and welfare - environmental protection and pollution control - rural communities and issues Although we only work directly in England, we work closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and we generally lead on negotiations in the EU and internationally. Read more about the Department, including key facts and figures, our priorities and objectives on our website..
Detection and Response: The company detects and responds to cybersecurity incidents through {description_of_detection_and_response_process}.
Incident Details
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Title: {Incident_Title}
Description: {Brief_description_of_the_incident}
Date Detected: {Detection_Date}
Date Publicly Disclosed: {Disclosure_Date}
Date Resolved: {Resolution_Date}
Type: {Type_of_Attack}
Attack Vector: {Attack_Vector}
Vulnerability Exploited: {Vulnerability}
Threat Actor: {Threat_Actor}
Motivation: {Motivation}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Title: {Incident_Title}
Description: {Brief_description_of_the_incident}
Date Detected: {Detection_Date}
Date Publicly Disclosed: {Disclosure_Date}
Date Resolved: {Resolution_Date}
Type: {Type_of_Attack}
Attack Vector: {Attack_Vector}
Vulnerability Exploited: {Vulnerability}
Threat Actor: {Threat_Actor}
Motivation: {Motivation}
Common Attack Types: The most common types of attacks the company has faced are ['Breach', 'Cyber Attack'].
Identification of Attack Vectors: The company identifies the attack vectors used in incidents through {description_of_identification_process}.
Impact of the Incidents
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Financial Loss: {Financial_Loss}
Data Compromised: {Data_Compromised}
Systems Affected: {Systems_Affected}
Downtime: {Downtime}
Operational Impact: {Operational_Impact}
Conversion Rate Impact: {Conversion_Rate_Impact}
Revenue Loss: {Revenue_Loss}
Customer Complaints: {Customer_Complaints}
Brand Reputation Impact: {Brand_Reputation_Impact}
Legal Liabilities: {Legal_Liabilities}
Identity Theft Risk: {Identity_Theft_Risk}
Payment Information Risk: {Payment_Information_Risk}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Financial Loss: {Financial_Loss}
Data Compromised: {Data_Compromised}
Systems Affected: {Systems_Affected}
Downtime: {Downtime}
Operational Impact: {Operational_Impact}
Conversion Rate Impact: {Conversion_Rate_Impact}
Revenue Loss: {Revenue_Loss}
Customer Complaints: {Customer_Complaints}
Brand Reputation Impact: {Brand_Reputation_Impact}
Legal Liabilities: {Legal_Liabilities}
Identity Theft Risk: {Identity_Theft_Risk}
Payment Information Risk: {Payment_Information_Risk}
Average Financial Loss: The average financial loss per incident is {average_financial_loss}.
Commonly Compromised Data Types: The types of data most commonly compromised in incidents are {list_of_commonly_compromised_data_types}.
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Entity Name: {Entity_Name}
Entity Type: {Entity_Type}
Industry: {Industry}
Location: {Location}
Size: {Size}
Customers Affected: {Customers_Affected}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Entity Name: {Entity_Name}
Entity Type: {Entity_Type}
Industry: {Industry}
Location: {Location}
Size: {Size}
Customers Affected: {Customers_Affected}
Response to the Incidents
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Incident Response Plan Activated: {Yes/No}
Third Party Assistance: {Yes/No}
Law Enforcement Notified: {Yes/No}
Containment Measures: {Containment_Measures}
Remediation Measures: {Remediation_Measures}
Recovery Measures: {Recovery_Measures}
Communication Strategy: {Communication_Strategy}
Adaptive Behavioral WAF: {Adaptive_Behavioral_WAF}
On-Demand Scrubbing Services: {On_Demand_Scrubbing_Services}
Network Segmentation: {Network_Segmentation}
Enhanced Monitoring: {Enhanced_Monitoring}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Incident Response Plan Activated: {Yes/No}
Third Party Assistance: {Yes/No}
Law Enforcement Notified: {Yes/No}
Containment Measures: {Containment_Measures}
Remediation Measures: {Remediation_Measures}
Recovery Measures: {Recovery_Measures}
Communication Strategy: {Communication_Strategy}
Adaptive Behavioral WAF: {Adaptive_Behavioral_WAF}
On-Demand Scrubbing Services: {On_Demand_Scrubbing_Services}
Network Segmentation: {Network_Segmentation}
Enhanced Monitoring: {Enhanced_Monitoring}
Incident Response Plan: The company's incident response plan is described as {description_of_incident_response_plan}.
Third-Party Assistance: The company involves third-party assistance in incident response through {description_of_third_party_involvement}.
Data Breach Information
Incident 2: Data Breach
Type of Data Compromised: {Type_of_Data}
Number of Records Exposed: {Number_of_Records}
Sensitivity of Data: {Sensitivity_of_Data}
Data Exfiltration: {Yes/No}
Data Encryption: {Yes/No}
File Types Exposed: {File_Types}
Personally Identifiable Information: {Yes/No}
Prevention of Data Exfiltration: The company takes the following measures to prevent data exfiltration: {description_of_prevention_measures}.
Handling of PII Incidents: The company handles incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII) through {description_of_handling_process}.
Ransomware Information
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Ransom Demanded: {Ransom_Amount}
Ransom Paid: {Ransom_Paid}
Ransomware Strain: {Ransomware_Strain}
Data Encryption: {Yes/No}
Data Exfiltration: {Yes/No}
Ransom Payment Policy: The company's policy on paying ransoms in ransomware incidents is described as {description_of_ransom_payment_policy}.
Data Recovery from Ransomware: The company recovers data encrypted by ransomware through {description_of_data_recovery_process}.
Regulatory Compliance
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Regulations Violated: {Regulations_Violated}
Fines Imposed: {Fines_Imposed}
Legal Actions: {Legal_Actions}
Regulatory Notifications: {Regulatory_Notifications}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Regulations Violated: {Regulations_Violated}
Fines Imposed: {Fines_Imposed}
Legal Actions: {Legal_Actions}
Regulatory Notifications: {Regulatory_Notifications}
Regulatory Frameworks: The company complies with the following regulatory frameworks regarding cybersecurity: {list_of_regulatory_frameworks}.
Ensuring Regulatory Compliance: The company ensures compliance with regulatory requirements through {description_of_compliance_measures}.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Lessons Learned: {Lessons_Learned}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Lessons Learned: {Lessons_Learned}
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Recommendations: {Recommendations}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Recommendations: {Recommendations}
Key Lessons Learned: The key lessons learned from past incidents are {list_of_key_lessons_learned}.
Implemented Recommendations: The company has implemented the following recommendations to improve cybersecurity: {list_of_implemented_recommendations}.
References
Additional Resources: Stakeholders can find additional resources on cybersecurity best practices at {list_of_additional_resources}.
Investigation Status
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Investigation Status: {Investigation_Status}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Investigation Status: {Investigation_Status}
Communication of Investigation Status: The company communicates the status of incident investigations to stakeholders through {description_of_communication_process}.
Stakeholder and Customer Advisories
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Stakeholder Advisories: {Stakeholder_Advisories}
Customer Advisories: {Customer_Advisories}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Stakeholder Advisories: {Stakeholder_Advisories}
Customer Advisories: {Customer_Advisories}
Advisories Provided: The company provides the following advisories to stakeholders and customers following an incident: {description_of_advisories_provided}.
Initial Access Broker
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Entry Point: {Entry_Point}
Reconnaissance Period: {Reconnaissance_Period}
Backdoors Established: {Backdoors_Established}
High Value Targets: {High_Value_Targets}
Data Sold on Dark Web: {Yes/No}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Entry Point: {Entry_Point}
Reconnaissance Period: {Reconnaissance_Period}
Backdoors Established: {Backdoors_Established}
High Value Targets: {High_Value_Targets}
Data Sold on Dark Web: {Yes/No}
Monitoring and Mitigation of Initial Access Brokers: The company monitors and mitigates the activities of initial access brokers through {description_of_monitoring_and_mitigation_measures}.
Post-Incident Analysis
Incident 1: Ransomware Attack
Root Causes: {Root_Causes}
Corrective Actions: {Corrective_Actions}
Incident 2: Data Breach
Root Causes: {Root_Causes}
Corrective Actions: {Corrective_Actions}
Post-Incident Analysis Process: The company's process for conducting post-incident analysis is described as {description_of_post_incident_analysis_process}.
Corrective Actions Taken: The company has taken the following corrective actions based on post-incident analysis: {list_of_corrective_actions_taken}.
Additional Questions
General Information
Ransom Payment History: The company has {paid/not_paid} ransoms in the past.
Last Ransom Demanded: The amount of the last ransom demanded was {last_ransom_amount}.
Last Attacking Group: The attacking group in the last incident was {last_attacking_group}.
Incident Details
Most Recent Incident Detected: The most recent incident detected was on {most_recent_incident_detected_date}.
Most Recent Incident Publicly Disclosed: The most recent incident publicly disclosed was on {most_recent_incident_publicly_disclosed_date}.
Most Recent Incident Resolved: The most recent incident resolved was on {most_recent_incident_resolved_date}.
Impact of the Incidents
Highest Financial Loss: The highest financial loss from an incident was {highest_financial_loss}.
Most Significant Data Compromised: The most significant data compromised in an incident was {most_significant_data_compromised}.
Most Significant System Affected: The most significant system affected in an incident was {most_significant_system_affected}.
Response to the Incidents
Third-Party Assistance in Most Recent Incident: The third-party assistance involved in the most recent incident was {third_party_assistance_in_most_recent_incident}.
Containment Measures in Most Recent Incident: The containment measures taken in the most recent incident were {containment_measures_in_most_recent_incident}.
Data Breach Information
Most Sensitive Data Compromised: The most sensitive data compromised in a breach was {most_sensitive_data_compromised}.
Number of Records Exposed: The number of records exposed in the most significant breach was {number_of_records_exposed}.
Ransomware Information
Highest Ransom Demanded: The highest ransom demanded in a ransomware incident was {highest_ransom_demanded}.
Highest Ransom Paid: The highest ransom paid in a ransomware incident was {highest_ransom_paid}.
Regulatory Compliance
Highest Fine Imposed: The highest fine imposed for a regulatory violation was {highest_fine_imposed}.
Most Significant Legal Action: The most significant legal action taken for a regulatory violation was {most_significant_legal_action}.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
Most Significant Lesson Learned: The most significant lesson learned from past incidents was {most_significant_lesson_learned}.
Most Significant Recommendation Implemented: The most significant recommendation implemented to improve cybersecurity was {most_significant_recommendation_implemented}.
References
Most Recent Source: The most recent source of information about an incident is {most_recent_source}.
Most Recent URL for Additional Resources: The most recent URL for additional resources on cybersecurity best practices is {most_recent_url}.
Investigation Status
Current Status of Most Recent Investigation: The current status of the most recent investigation is {current_status_of_most_recent_investigation}.
Stakeholder and Customer Advisories
Most Recent Stakeholder Advisory: The most recent stakeholder advisory issued was {most_recent_stakeholder_advisory}.
Most Recent Customer Advisory: The most recent customer advisory issued was {most_recent_customer_advisory}.
Initial Access Broker
Most Recent Entry Point: The most recent entry point used by an initial access broker was {most_recent_entry_point}.
Most Recent Reconnaissance Period: The most recent reconnaissance period for an incident was {most_recent_reconnaissance_period}.
Post-Incident Analysis
Most Significant Root Cause: The most significant root cause identified in post-incident analysis was {most_significant_root_cause}.
Most Significant Corrective Action: The most significant corrective action taken based on post-incident analysis was {most_significant_corrective_action}.
What Do We Measure?
Every week, Rankiteo analyzes billions of signals to give organizations a sharper, faster view of emerging risks. With deeper, more actionable intelligence at their fingertips, security teams can outpace threat actors, respond instantly to Zero-Day attacks, and dramatically shrink their risk exposure window.
These are some of the factors we use to calculate the overall score:
Identify exposed access points, detect misconfigured SSL certificates, and uncover vulnerabilities across the network infrastructure.
Gain visibility into the software components used within an organization to detect vulnerabilities, manage risk, and ensure supply chain security.
Monitor and manage all IT assets and their configurations to ensure accurate, real-time visibility across the company's technology environment.
Leverage real-time insights on active threats, malware campaigns, and emerging vulnerabilities to proactively defend against evolving cyberattacks.
