UK Commits £1.9 Billion to Cybersecurity Strategy
Prompted by allegations against countries like Russia and China for their possible roles in cyber attacks against the U.S., the UK said they would be investing £1.9 billion ($2.3 billion) over the next five years in a new cybersecurity defense plan, called the National Cyber Security Strategy, to prepare and fight cyber threats.
The investment will include partnerships with private and corporate organizations, like Microsoft, to develop technology to defend against cyber attacks.
The size of the investment makes it the largest funding that the UK has earmarked for cybersecurity, but it is not the only one. In October, the Defense Secretary earmarked £265 million specifically for cyber vulnerability at the Ministry of Defense.
There are three areas the government hopes to target with the investment: defense, deter and develop. Under defense, the government will be working with Netcraft to develop automated defense techniques to reduce impact of a cyber attack if one does happen. They will work to stop viruses and spam emails from reaching victims and will include defenses against phishing attacks.
Covered under deter is law enforcement capabilities to fight cybercrime, while develop is focused on education as a new Cyber Security Institute will be developed.
There will be many more questions and details to be flushed out over the next five years, but the UK is hoping to stand its ground when it comes to cybersecurity.