UK Moving to Offensive Cyber

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A ‘cyber corridor’ in the north of England is set to become the home of a new National Cyber Force (NCF) – as Britain transitions towards more of an offensive security posture against terrorists, hostile states and criminal gangs.

The new NCF will be deployed to ‘detect, disrupt and deter’ adversaries and will feature among a number of ‘priority actions’ contained in a new fully-formed cyber strategy, to be published soon, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The National Cyber Security Centre was established in 2016 to help critical organizations, businesses and the general public protect themselves. However the change in tack is in line with an upsurge of global ransomware and espionage attacks carried out in recent years, which have disrupted businesses and life in the UK.

A new cyber strategy will be announced to create a cyber ecosystem fit for the future

The National Cyber Force was created last year to transform the UK’s capacity to conduct targeted offensive cyber operations against terrorists, hostile states and criminal gangs. It draws together personnel from both defence and the intelligence agencies under one unified command for the first time.

The kinds of operations the NCF is able to carry out include:

• Interfering with a mobile phone to prevent a terrorist being able to communicate with their contacts
• Helping to prevent cyberspace from being used as a global platform for serious crimes, including the sexual abuse of children
• Keeping UK military aircraft safe from targeting by weapons systems

The 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. 

hub, futurescot.com reports .