Plextek calls for a UK Cyber Attack Prevention Agency at Security & Defence SIG meeting

“Over the past 20 years various UK governments have encouraged open market ownership of critical national infrastructure (CNI) such as water, energy and banks. This has produced the situation where there is significant ownership by European companies such as Santander and Veolia and interestingly a stated ambition from one of the Chinese sovereign wealth funds “to invest in US and European infrastructure starting in Britain,”” said Paul Martin, Plextek.

“But just how is the UK’s CNI to be protected from Cyber attack? Currently CNI protection is in the hands of the hard-pressed Director responsible for IT and the budget allocated depends on far too many variables. Clearly protection of CNI is a high priority for the government, however influence over non-UK national companies that own CNI and are outside Europe will be limited and will also depend on the prevailing geopolitical situation. One possible way forward is to follow the lead taken by the USA and establish a Cyber Attack Prevention Agency whose remit is limited to UK CNI protection. This would be an advisory body able to train CNI staff and proliferate best practice and up to the hour advice on resisting cyber attack.”

The Security & Defence SIG will concentrate on the defence remit with speakers addressing topics of cyber spectrum, transportable TETRA systems for military support and defence of the UK Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). Government speakers will outline the activities of the Cyber & Influence Centre within Dstl, the MOD Research Laboratory, and describe a new approach to information sharing with industry for CNI defence against emerging threats in cyber space. Industry representatives include Airwave, who be presenting their work in fielding demountable TETRA based systems overseas, and MASS Consultants who will addressing the challenges of implementing a secure wide area wireless network from sensor to user.

The Wireless Security and Defence SIG is championed by: Nicholas Hill of Plextek, Guy Kenyon of Kenyon Consultants, Justin Paul, David Chater-Lea of Motorola and Tim Phipps of Cambridge Consultants.