UK government to create Office of Cyber Security

The new office will run within the Cabinet Office, and will liaise with industry as well as providing strategic oversight. The new strategy will also see a separate office, the UK Cyber Security Operations Centre, established in an offensive as well as defensive role.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Just as in the 19th century we had to secure the seas for our national safety and prosperity, and the 20th century we had to secure the air, in the 21st century we also have to secure our position in cyber space in order to give people and businesses the confidence they need to operate safely there."

The government endorsed a series of key priorities as part of the new strategy, including recruitment to "plug skills gaps", establishing opportunities for high tech businesses in the UK, and providing education to businesses and consumers alike.

Imperva chief executive Shlomo Kramer welcomed the move: "The OCS is a welcome step towards making cyber security a top priority.  For too long, action has been reactive, papering over the cracks of data breaches and attacks, rather than proactively seeking to put in place a structure to mitigate against it. The biggest challenge the new OCS faces is to propagate the DNA of security across the government."

The move mirrors that of US president Brack Obama, who earlier this month outlined his plan to enhance cyber security protections in the US.


See original article on scmagazineuk.com