Britain to increase investment in cyberwarfare capabilities

The UK’s Secretary of State for Defence, Gavin Williamson, has today pledged ‘significant investment’ in Britain’s cyberwarfare capabilities. In a speech which addressed global threats to Britain, Mr Williamson discussed the changing character of warfare and the influence of Brexit on Britain’s global defensive stance.

The Defence Secretary also directly acknowledged the threat of Russia and China increasing their offensive military capabilities, and encouraged Britain to renew and build alliances with nations in Europe and beyond.

On cyber, Mr Williamson promised to add to the 1.9bn that the government has already committed to improve Britain’s offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. This is to be achieved by utilising advanced technologies, enforcing new structures across government, and protecting domestic networks from online attacks.

Commenting on the news, Ollie Whitehouse, Global Chief Technical Officer at NCC Group, added: “The government’s commitment to investing in Britain’s defensive cyber capabilities is to be welcomed as an acknowledgement that cyber is rapidly becoming a key facet of global warfare.

“Working with international allies, Britain has led the way in attributing cyber attacks to Iran, North Korea, Russia and China for the first time in history. As political tensions heighten and cyber becomes increasingly integrated with traditional military operations, its vital that the UK continues to take a leading role in encouraging dialogue on mitigating cyber threats with international stakeholders.

“While we recognise that the domains of cyber warfare fall within the remit of the government, we would encourage the UK Defence Secretary to increase collaboration between the public and private sectors. The exchange of knowledge between these will be crucial in further enhancing the UK’s overall cyber capability.”