NCSC's Malware Free Network disrupts 10 million cyber threats

The National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Malware Free Network (MFN) service has achieved a notable milestone, having disrupted 10 million cyber threats.

The NCSC, part of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), provides this threat detection and disruption service, furnishing near real-time threat intelligence to address ongoing malicious activity targeting New Zealand organisations and individuals.

The MFN service is offered to various private-sector partners who then deliver it to their clients, thereby extending the NCSC’s cyber defence capabilities across different sectors. Lisa Fong, GCSB Deputy Director-General responsible for the NCSC, detailed the nature of these disruptions. “The figures behind the 10 million disruptions include 5.5 million attempts at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in customer networks, 3.3 million blocks on people accessing phishing links, and 4,000 attempts to download malware,” she explained.

The success of MFN is attributed to an extensive threat intelligence feed, curated from numerous sources including international cybersecurity partners, complemented by rigorous internal analysis and research. Notably, 95% of these disruptions stem from indicators identified through the NCSC’s own analytics and research.

Since its inception in 2021, the MFN has significantly grown, expanding its partner base from an initial seven to 21 organisations. This increase has considerably broadened MFN’s coverage and impact across New Zealand. Ms Fong stated, “I want to acknowledge the considerable support our MFN partners have provided in helping us achieve this milestone. We are proud of the success achieved by our MFN service in disrupting threats, and we’re excited to see how MFN will continue to grow and enhance cybersecurity for New Zealanders in the future.”

One New Zealand was the first telecommunications company in the country to implement MFN at a network level for both broadband and mobile customers as of May 2023, in partnership with DEFEND. Tony Baird, One New Zealand's Chief Technology Officer, commented, “This threat detection and disruption service continues to complement our in-house cybersecurity work to block scammers and keep our customers and their businesses safer. It’s brilliant to see that MFN has hit the 10 million threats blocked milestone. The service helps our customers, friends, and family. The technology makes a real difference to everyday Kiwis' lives.”

Bastion Security is another entity that has integrated MFN into its security operations. James Fitzsimons, co-founder and Head of Managed Services at Bastion Security, expressed his thoughts on the service, “We are a strong proponent of the proactive disruption capability that MFN provides. We believe that MFN has helped our customers strengthen their security posture and avoid potentially costly security incidents over the last four years.”

Spark New Zealand has also collaborated with the NCSC to incorporate MFN into its network, enhancing its defence mechanisms against malicious activities.

Nyuk Loong Kiw, Chief Information Security Officer at Spark NZ, remarked, “We’re pleased to partner with the NCSC to incorporate the MFN service as part of our cybersecurity capabilities. Reaching a significant milestone of 10 million disruptions for the MFN is strong testament to the effectiveness of near real-time threat intelligence on current malicious activity targeting New Zealand organisations, helping to reduce incidences of mobile and broadband users inadvertently downloading malware onto their devices.”