As part of a three-day meeting with 'like-minded' countries, the UK has begun a conversation aimed at tackling the growing threat of cyber attacks and how to combat them. The government intends to initiate a global dialogue with leading nations from around the world so that the best action can be taken to eradicate global cyber threats and to close the cyber skills gap globally. 

There will be a cyber summit in the UK this week, where participants from the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, and international organizations such as the World Economic Forum and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will gather to discuss matters related to cybersecurity. 

It is rather unfortunate that the meetings take place at Wilton Park in West Sussex during this time, not least because there has been a spate of attacks on NHS service providers and attempts to disrupt transport networks in the past few months. During the next three days, a group of countries, including the EU member states, Canada, and Japan, and international organizations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF), will discuss the steps that can be taken to strengthen global cybersecurity workforces, from agreeing on strategies for boosting cyber-skills to creating new professional standards for cybersecurity. 

It is important to note that these conferences are taking place as a result of several high-profile cybersecurity incidents that have taken place in recent months, including attacks on Transport for London and NHS providers, as well as a global IT outage that shut down global transportation systems. To contribute to this, the UK has commissioned a new report to be presented at the conference, in which attendees are expected to agree on key areas the US should focus on. 

As a result of the recommendations, international collaboration will be advanced to improve cyber skills to combat cybercrime and maintain cybersecurity in times of crisis. A new initiative is also being launched by the UK government as part of its immediate action plan to provide tailored support to regions across England and Northern Ireland to help them cope with the effects of Brexit. 

A move to tap local know-how will enable the move to fund initiatives that will specifically address the cyber skills needs of every local area, whether it be applying apprenticeships or introducing new approaches to cyber security for businesses.  Ahead of the new legislation, the government has declared that data centers will be designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) along with electricity and water networks, which is intended to enhance the security of the UK and to enable the government to provide support in the event of a major incident. 

The support of UK cyber skills will also contribute towards the development of the £11.9 billion data security industry and enhance the British economy's ability to grow. A new scheme is also set to be launched by the UK government at the same time as the international initiative to provide tailored support across different regions of England and Northern Ireland to complement the international initiative. This announcement was made by DSIT in a statement, which stated they were hoping that by tapping into local knowledge of the cyber security needs of different regions, the move might assist them in funding initiatives designed directly to meet those needs, whether it be through apprenticeships or developing new forms of cyber security for companies.  

In Northern Ireland and England, a total of £1.3m ($1.7m) has been made available to organizations such as universities, local councils, and businesses for the provision of cyber skills training. Furthermore, funding will be available to support firms in developing cyber defence innovations across the country. Developed by Innovate UK, through which grants worth up to £150,000 ($198,000) will be awarded by March 2025 to winning applicants for the scheme, which was launched this week.

Data centres were recently designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) along with energy and water systems, an initiative that will greatly improve UK security and allow the government to support the sector in the event of any critical incidents that may occur within the sector. By boosting the UK cyber skills we are also helping to stimulate the £11.9 billion ($15.7 billion) cyber security industry in the UK and ensuring the economy continues to grow. 

It was reported on Saturday that the head of the National Cyber Security Centre has co-chaired a meeting with international partners to learn how democracies can assist in protecting communities whose privacy is at risk due to cyberattacks. As part of a strategic dialogue held yesterday (Thursday 28th September) between NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron and the Director of the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Jen Easterly, representatives of the US Department of Defense and leaders of six other countries discussed the threat of transnational repression that certain civil society groups face around the world. 

Early this year, these countries – Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the UK, and the United States – committed to developing a strategy to support cyber security for these communities in light of the increasing use of cyber weapons by authoritarian governments to attack them. 

Among the groups identified as being at higher risk are members of the political profession, such as MPs, journalists, academics, lawyers, dissidents, and those sanctioned by foreign governments, as well as dissident groups and members of minority groups. This dialogue, which is being held by CISA as a part of its High-Risk Community Protection initiative, enabled participants to introduce themselves to one another, outline strategies for protecting civil society online, exchange insight about the threat landscape, and agree on the need to collaborate further.

The UK government's Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is also being introduced for discussion. As a result of this Bill, is planned to strengthen the UK's cyber defences, as well as ensure that critical infrastructures and digital services that companies rely on are secure in the future.   NCSC provides several cyber security guidance documents, including practical advice for people working in high-risk jobs such as those in government or politics, that are available on their website. 

Earlier this year, the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) released a report that discussed how commercial cyber intrusion tools - or spyware - had probably been used by some governments to target journalists, human rights activists, political dissidents, and officials of foreign governments to disrupt their operations. 

After this first Strategic Dialogue on the Cyber Security of Civil Society Under Threat of Transnational Repression had been held, the participants agreed to meet again in the future to continue to address the challenges of transnational repression that they shared during this meeting.