New UK Cyber Monitoring Centre Introduces 'Richter Scale' for Cyber-Attacks

The UK’s Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC), an independent non-profit backed by the insurance industry, has launched to monitor, assess, and classify cyber incidents affecting UK organizations using a five-level scale based on affected population and estimated financial impact. Guided by a technical committee and a data-driven methodology (media scanning, polling, and partner data), the CMC aims to publish initial statements within 30 days of major events, focusing on tangible business costs such as interruption, restoration, response, extortion, and funds transfer (excluding regulatory and liability costs), to improve clarity in measuring cyber harm and support resilience and response planning.