Government lays out 2014 cyber security agenda

The UK government has reiterated its commitment to addressing cyber security as a top priority at the Govnet Cyber Security Summit 2013 in London.

“We are committed, we have a strategy, but it is a long-term challenge that cannot be met by government alone,” said Neil Kenward, deputy director, Cyber Crime Programme Management, Cabinet Office.

Effective partnerships with business, academia, internationally and across central government are essential for the delivery and improvement of cyber security in the UK, he said.

Kenward highlighted what has been achieved under the national Cyber Crime Programme in the past year.

He said the UK has improved situational awareness, strengthened law enforcement, increased business awareness and advice, established a secure cyber information-sharing forum, strengthened cyber research and skills provision, and established a leadership position in the international debate.

“It sounds like an awful lot, but there is an awful lot to do,” said Kenward.

Turning to the year ahead, he said the government planned to embark on several new activities.

Top of the 2014 agenda is a major public awareness campaign to make individual citizens aware of the risks, but this campaign will also target small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

2014 will also see the first national computer emergency response team (CERT-UK) become operational as part of the government’s objective to reinforce cyber incident response arrangements.

To help address the lack of people in the UK with cyber security skills, the government plans to expand vocational cyber security training through internships and apprenticeships.

In addition to these initiatives, Kenward said the government would continue to participate in international efforts to establish cyber security standards.

Allied to this, he said, is the UK government’s efforts to help build cyber security capacity internationally through the newly established international capacity building centre.