National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS)

The UK’s vision for 2021 is to provide a secure and resilient environment in the UK against cyber threats, as well as to be prosperous and confident in the digital world. The vision has three main aims:

• To defend the UK against evolving cyber threats, to respond effectively to incidents, and to ensure UK networks, data and systems are protected and resilient
• To deter: while the UK will be a hard target for all forms of aggression in cyberspace, the country has the means to take offensive action in cyberspace if required
• To develop the UK’s cutting-edge analysis and expertise will enable the country to face and address future threats and challenges

Your task

Familiarise yourself with the Executive Summary of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016–2021 on pages 9 and 10, and the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) report on cyber security challenges.

Then discuss your response to the following question from the RUSI report:

‘The 2016 National Cyber Security Strategy has been characterised by a central authority in the Cabinet Office leading a complex cross-Whitehall implementation programme. To what extent should cyber security become business as usual across all areas of government after 2021, rather than a centrally managed strategy with ring-fenced investment?’

References

_{HM Government (2016) National Cyber Security Strategy 2016–2021. [online] available from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567242/national_cyber_security_strategy_2016.pdf [27 June 2019]}

_{Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (2019) The UK Cyber Strategy Challenges for the Next Phase [online] available from https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/20190627_the_uk_cyber_strategy_web.pdf [27 June 2019]}