Britain is embroiled in a shadow war, and as threats evolve so must the business models we use to fight back, says Mark Wheatley

We may not be in the middle of a full-blown conflagration. But we are embroiled in something like a shadow war. The threats we in Britain face today – from cyberattack to space – are invisible, but discernible.

Cast your mind back a few months, to the takedown of the Marks & Spencer website. That ransomware attack, thought to be carried out by the group Scattered Spider, not only broke the site but froze online orders and crashed key systems, such as Click & Collect, stock control and payments. The disruption lasted months and inconvenienced many. It reportedly cost the retailer £300m in lost profit and wiped more than £1bn from its market value. Other businesses, from banks to bakers, have been targeted, blackmailed and bruised.

Public and private actors, including those in the City, have built resilience and reserves. But they too face threats, sometimes from shadowy military units such as

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