Introducing Defend as One
Earlier this year the UK government set its own cyber security strategy ‘Defend as One’, the first of its kind, its main aim, “to ensure that core government functions – from the delivery of public services to the operation of National Security apparatus and critical national infrastructure – are more resilient to cyber-attack”, according to techuk.org.
In response to the ever-growing cyber threats against operational technology, its aim is to build resilience around global security and stability. By sharing information across organisations, the strategy can help those involved by sharing information with regards to cyber threat intelligence, along with expertise and capabilities to build cyber defences across networks.
Not only is the strategy open to businesses and organisations, their aim is to also set up a vulnerability reporting service, whereby members of the public can report on incidents or weaknesses in digital services. Afterall sometimes it is the most trivial weakness which can evolve into catastrophic cyber security incidents.
Part of their plan is too:
- Establish a new Government Cyber Coordination Centre (GCCC), to improve cyber security efforts.
- Introduce a new cross-government vulnerability reporting service for members of the public to report issues.
- Produce a robust assessment of departmental plans, giving central government a more detailed outline of cyber health.
- £37.8 million of investment pledged into local authorities to build cyber resilience.
- Partner with small businesses and academia to reduce government risk through culture change.
- Understand growing supply chain risk for commercially provided products in government systems.
Through this cyber security policy reform, it is anticipated that by implementing a bold strategy, cyber security resilience can be built within government offices and local authority organisations by sharing data, expertise and capabilities.