UK sets aside £210M to improve cyber security in public services

The United Kingdom has announced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which aims to boost the country’s cyber resilience.

The UK intends to invest £210 million to enhance the digital security of public services, addressing the growing range of online threats. Once the bill is accepted, these services must meet the same security requirements as businesses and organizations working in critical infrastructure, such as energy and water suppliers, cloud providers, search engines, and data centers.

With the money, among other things, the government wants to establish a new Government Cyber Unit. This entity will be responsible for improving the identification of security risks, response to cyber incidents, and recovery capabilities. It will be headed by the UK’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and supervised by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Weaknesses in software can cause severe disruption to supply chains and the essential services the public uses every day. Therefore, the government intends to appoint a Software Security Ambassador Scheme to reduce software supply chain attacks and disruptions.

“Cyberattacks can take vital public services offline in minutes, disrupting our digital services and our very way of life,” Digital Government Minister Ian Murray says in a press release.

“This plan sets a new bar to bolster the defenses of our public sector, putting cybercriminals on warning that we are going further and faster to protect the UK’s businesses and public services alike. This is how we keep people safe, services running, and build a government the public can trust in the digital age,” he continues.

According to Minister Murray, improving cyber resilience, minimizing harm, and speeding up recovery by departments and the public sector is central to the government.

Making more services accessible online will make the government and public services more efficient, secure, resilient, and helpful to its citizens.

“Secure, reliable digital public services help protect citizens, support growth, and deliver better value for taxpayers, while maintaining trust in the services communities rely on every day,” Murray says.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is currently on its second reading in the House of Commons.

Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.