{"id":70928,"date":"2016-05-25T14:48:23","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T14:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=cab2d91618f700e5a3281fe2339530fc"},"modified":"2016-05-25T14:48:23","modified_gmt":"2016-05-25T14:48:23","slug":"speech-keeping-britain-safe-from-cyber-attacks-matt-hancock-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=70928","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Keeping Britain safe from cyber attacks: Matt Hancock speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I\u2019m very grateful to the Telegraph for asking me here to this crucial conference on cyber security.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019re guests of the Telegraph, I want to start with a little story about the telegraph. Not the paper, but the technology.<\/p>\n

A century ago, the First World War was raging in Europe, and the Allies were desperate to bring America into the war on our side.<\/p>\n

Then, in January 1917, the German ambassador to Mexico received an encrypted telegram from Berlin.<\/p>\n

It instructed him to offer the Mexican government money and diplomatic support for an audacious invasion of the United States.<\/p>\n

But this message was subject to one of the first and perhaps most influential cyber security breaches in history.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter that the idea was half-baked, that the Mexicans had no interest in invading Arizona. When the contents were revealed, American opinion was outraged.<\/p>\n

Shortly after, Congress voted to join the war.<\/p>\n

So why did the German high command entrust such a sensitive message to Western Union, then, as now, a wire transfer company?<\/p>\n

Because they had failed to appreciate an obvious network vulnerability.<\/p>\n

The subsea cable they were using did not travel directly from Europe.<\/p>\n

Instead it went through Britain, stopping off at Land\u2019s End, where the signal was boosted before being transmitted to America.<\/p>\n

This meant it very easy for British Naval Intelligence to listen in on the traffic.<\/p>\n

Once war broke out, any diplomatic telegrams passing through were copied down and dispatched to Room 40, the forerunner of GCHQ.<\/p>\n

I mention this story as a warning against complacency.<\/p>\n

Telegraphy was the email of its day: trusted and widely used, familiar rather than cutting edge.<\/p>\n

People thought it was secure, but it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

A hundred years on, our trusted communications are wireless, instantaneous and virtually cost-free. Data is stored in the Cloud, not in filing cabinets.<\/p>\n

And this has changed the world beyond all recognition, in my view emphatically for the better.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability in cyber security<\/h2>\n

From the little to the life-changing, remote robotic surgery to online box-sets. We are freer, more prosperous, more knowledgeable about the world than ever before.<\/p>\n

Yet this brings with it renewed vulnerability.<\/p>\n

Barriers to entry have come crashing down for companies and cyber-criminals alike.<\/p>\n

Unlike in 1917 you don\u2019t need to be a state to inflict a massive data breach.<\/p>\n

When peoples\u2019 cyber security isn\u2019t up to scratch, you just need a laptop and an Internet connection.<\/p>\n

The tech may have got smarter, but the biggest weakness in any system is still the human being.<\/p>\n

In the last year, 2 thirds of large businesses in the UK experienced an cyber attack.<\/p>\n

Almost a quarter suffered a breach at least once a month.<\/p>\n

This matters because we are one of the world\u2019s leading digital nations.<\/p>\n

Twelve and a half per cent of our economy is now online. No other country does more e-commerce.<\/p>\n

In government too we\u2019ve begun to upload the state, using technology to build more responsive, user-centric public services.<\/p>\n

I call it the smartphone state.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re still only in the foothills.<\/p>\n

Smart energy, networked cities, quantum computing: these all have the potential to transform our lives and refashion our economy.<\/p>\n

But to deliver on that promise we have to be able to defend our digital society from those who wish it and us harm.<\/p>\n

A strong cyber defence requires three things.<\/p>\n

First, we \u2013 industry and government \u2013 together must recognise that this is a shared responsibility, a duty that we owe our fellow citizens.<\/p>\n

Second, that we deliver on that commitment by equipping them with the right skills.<\/p>\n

And third, that we can and must turn our vulnerabilities into a source of economic strength.<\/p>\n

Let me take each in turn.<\/p>\n

Shared responsibility<\/h2>\n

First, it\u2019s vital to recognise this is an issue for CEOs as well as spooks.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of the UK\u2019s Critical National Infrastructure is operated by the private sector. Power, water and telecoms are all critical targets.<\/p>\n

Even outside that our digital lives are in your hands, everything from our life savings to our holiday snaps.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m encouraged to see that two thirds of businesses say cyber security is now a priority for senior managers.<\/p>\n

Yet there remains a gap between awareness and action.<\/p>\n

Only half of the businesses we surveyed this year have taken steps to identify cyber risks.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, the next data breach will happen. It\u2019s your duty to make it\u2019s not your company splashed across the papers when it does.<\/p>\n

But we don\u2019t expect you to do it alone.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve created the UK\u2019s first systematic National Cyber Security Programme, and we\u2019re almost doubling the funding with \u00a31.9 billion over the next five years.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re setting up a National Cyber Security Centre<\/a> under GCHQ.<\/p>\n

The centre will provide a single point of contact for businesses in need of advice and support.<\/p>\n

I want it to become a hub of world-class, user-friendly expertise: a global leader under the steady hand of Ciaran Martin, bridging the gap between the worlds of government and industry.<\/p>\n

And today I\u2019m publishing the centre\u2019s prospectus<\/a> , setting out how it\u2019ll work ahead of its full launch later this year.<\/p>\n

And we want to hear from you what you think and how it can help your business.<\/p>\n

I strongly recommend that you feed back to us, so we can design the National Cyber Security Centre around your needs.<\/p>\n

The right skills<\/h2>\n

We already know that your number one need is for skills, and this is the second part of facing down the cyber threat.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just that we need more skills. Computer security needs to become a basic life skill, like learning to drive.<\/p>\n

And while we want everyone to pass the test, we also need our elite Formula 1 drivers.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019re growing the talent pool at every stage of the education system.<\/p>\n

Learning coding in schools, competitions to get more girls into cyber, residential courses for students in Years 12 and 13 – sponsorship for the most promising undergrads \u2013 all under the Government-backed Cyber First banner.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve opened new routes into cyber security, like the new Trailblazer apprenticeship.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m proud to give my support to the new Extended Project Qualification, which the Cyber Security Challenge just created.<\/p>\n

This level 3 qualification, equivalent to an AS Level, teaches the basics of cyber security in three months, and can be studied in schools, colleges or through the Challenge itself.<\/p>\n

But industry has to play its part too.<\/p>\n

We need more businesses to offer training, sponsorship apprenticeships: more breaks for the best minds.<\/p>\n

Because if we commit now, together, the struggle in cyberspace is Britain\u2019s opportunity.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the third part of securing our cyber defences: not just protecting the digital economy but growing it.<\/p>\n

Turning risk into reward<\/h2>\n

We\u2019re already one of the top 5 exporters in the world, and the global market is growing by 20% a year.<\/p>\n

A strong cyber security industry means a safer Britain.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019re funding test labs where cyber start-ups can refine their prototypes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • a cyber security fund to scale the established players<\/li>\n
  • a cyber security innovation centre in Cheltenham.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And today I can announce a new cyber security trade champion for the Gulf, to help UK companies win business in the region, while supporting the work of the UK Cyber Ambassador.<\/p>\n

    This comes alongside our dedicated cyber specialist in Washington, who\u2019s been supporting our engagement with cyber businesses in the US.<\/p>\n

    Our goal is to create a commercial ecosystem where cutting-edge research is backed, start-ups get scaled, and British companies win business around the world.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/h2>\n

    So shared responsibility, the right skills, and boosting the cyber economy: get these 3 right and we can get across this challenge.<\/p>\n

    Everyone has their part to play to close the chinks in our armour and the gaps in our capability.<\/p>\n

    There is no doubt that cyber attacks are a serious and growing problem.<\/p>\n

    But the history of technological advance – and with it of human progress – is the history of solving problems.<\/p>\n

    After the First World War the Germans, determined that their codes would never again be cracked, built mechanical encryption machines.<\/p>\n

    In turn we built the world\u2019s first digital computers to break them.<\/p>\n

    We can\u2019t know what we\u2019ll evolve in response to the current threat.<\/p>\n

    But if we are honest about the threat, if we work together we can drive progress, power innovation, build better tech and a safer, more prosperous Britain.<\/p>\n

    That is our task and I look forward to working with you to achieve it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Minister for Cabinet Office gave a speech on the UK’s cyber security strategy and keeping Britain safe from cyber attacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70928"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70928\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}