Britain Will Build Up Its Military Cyber Capabilities

Ahead of an imminent national security review the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the country needs to advance its cyber capabilities to ensure that cyber attacks can be effectively dealt with. 

Johnson will present a long-term Integrated Review of national security, defence, development and foreign policy to Parliament this week and the review will commit to 'a new, full spectrum approach to the UK's cyber capability', driving more investment in education, new partnerships with industry, and integration across intelligence and defence services.

"Cyber power is revolutionising the way we live our lives and fight our wars... We need to build up our cyber capability so we can grasp the opportunities it presents while ensuring those who seek to use its powers to attack us and our way of life are thwarted at every turn.” Johnson said.

"In recent years our adversaries have invested in their own capabilities and are constantly finding new ways to exploit our weaknesses and gain advantage in cyberspace," said Johnson. "To cement our competitive edge and keep ahead of our 
The government announced the National Cyber Force (NCF) last November, to counter threats from hostile nations by targeting them digitally. The NCF has been operating since April 2020, with experts from GCHQ, MI6 and the armed forces based in several locations across the country, including GCHQ's headquarters in Cheltenham and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down.

In the last year, GCHQ has partnered with tech start-ups to help them develop and use AI to help train companies ensure more space for passengers during the COVID pandemic, alert haulage companies to stowaways in their containers and prevent the spread of misinformation online. 

Britain  spent £38 billion on defence in 2019, or about 2.1 per cent of GDP. This was more than any other European country, though far below the 3.5 per cent of GDP spent by the USA.

Although little information about the new unit is available, it is believed that it consists of ethical 'white hat hackers' trained to conduct cyber attacks. Their main responsibility is to disrupt the online communications of people or groups whom the government views as terrorists or serious criminals. According to Johnson's Office, the NCF will be permanently based in northern England, as part of the government's efforts to establish a 'cyber corridor' across the region and to drive growth in digital, tech and defence sectors outside London.

The forthcoming Integrated Review is also set to announce a new cyber strategy, to create "a cyber ecosystem fit for the future." Johnson says the new programme will "support" firms that are working to create dual-use and consumer technology. This cyber strategy will be "critical to our ambition to establish the UK as a global services, digital and data hub."

In addition to national security and defence applications, cyber technology can also be used to improve people’s lives through smart technology and helping people use the internet safely. 

The British Government’s new cyber strategy will support companies developing dual-use and consumer technology to ensure the UK is a cyber power in every sense. It will also be critical to our ambition to establish the UK as a global services, digital and data hub.

GovUK:          London News:     Wired:       Computing:      Standard

You Might Also Read: 

Britain Is At Cyber War Every Day:

 

« Maritime Cyber Security Is Equally Important On Land
Multiple Airlines Hit By Supply Chain Attack »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of completely automatic, fully encrypted online, cloud backup.

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

ReadWrite

ReadWrite

ReadWrite is a leading media platform dedicated to IoT and the Connected World.

Radiant Logic

Radiant Logic

Radiant Logic is a market-leading provider of federated identity solutions based on virtualization, and delivers simple, logical, and standards-based access to all identities within an organization.

ITrust

ITrust

ITrust develops breakthrough products in Cyber/Artificial Intelligence, offering its products in Europe, America and Africa through its partner network (VAR, MSSP, OEM).

CERT-MU

CERT-MU

CERT-MU is the Mauritian National Computer Security Incident Response Team.

ComCode

ComCode

ComCode provides consulting services and solutions in the area of digitization and cyber security for mid-sized and big businesses.

Secmentis

Secmentis

Secmentis is a cyber security consultancy specializing in penetration testing, threat intelligence, and proactive defense for your IT infrastructure.

LEPL Cyber ​​Security Bureau - Georgia

LEPL Cyber ​​Security Bureau - Georgia

The aim of the LEPL Cyber Security Bureau is to create and strengthen stable, efficient and secure systems of information and communications technologies.

Invensity

Invensity

INVENSITY is an interdisciplinary technology and innovation consulting company. Centres of excellence include Cyber Security and Data Privacy.

CYR3CON

CYR3CON

Harness the power of artificial intelligence with CYR3CON's unique, hacker-centric approach to predicting and preventing cyber attacks.

Sonrai Security

Sonrai Security

Sonrai Security delivers an enterprise security platform focused on identity and data protection inside AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Munich Re

Munich Re

Munich Re is a leading global provider of reinsurance, primary insurance and insurance-related risk solutions including Cyber.

e-Careers

e-Careers

e-Careers is an edtech institution that provides industry recognised courses and up-skilling solutions to individuals and organisations.

Stairwell

Stairwell

Stairwell is building a new approach to cybersecurity around a vision that all security teams should be able to determine what’s good, what’s bad, and why.

IriusRisk

IriusRisk

IriusRisk is an open Threat Modeling platform that automates and supports creating threat models at design time.

Cyberplc

Cyberplc

Cyberplc is a global cybersecurity consulting firm providing services to government, the public sector and enterprises.

Obscure Technologies

Obscure Technologies

Obscure Technologies is a firm of experts, specialised in brokering the best security solutions to market.