Cyber attacks show that we need to disconnect as much as possible from the internet - Yorkshire Post Letters

Last autumn the cyber attack on JLR cost the company directly £200m and the wider economy £2bn, affecting 5,000 businesses. This autumn hackers gained access to the refrigerators in 150 Intermarche and 80 Carrefour supermarkets in France turning their thermostats overnight to plus 50C causing millions of euros worth of frozen food to be binned.

The freezers in the cold aisles are connected to the internet. Some large buildings do not have light switches and are connected to a control centre which may be 50 miles away. Some newer homes are being built with light switches replaced by phone apps.

Cyber attacks are likely to increase and become more severe. We need to have analogue back-ups for systems, and disconnect as much as possible from the internet. Back up generators can overcome power cuts and there should be manual control systems which can override computer control. This will become more important as AI infiltrates the economy. Manual back-ups could include things like petrol pumps and tills which work without electricity.