Britain’s public services are set to get a cybersecurity boost to further protect them from digital threats though a new UK Government cybersecurity strategy.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Barclay, outlined the cyber threat that the government and wider public sector systems face in a speech, as he announced the first ever Cybersecurity Strategy from the government.

It will be backed by £37.8 million of investment to help local authorities boost their cyber resilience, Barclay announced – protecting the “essential services and data on which citizens rely,” including housing benefit, voter registration, electoral management, school grants and the provision of social care.

Commenting on the new strategy, Barclay said: “Our public services are precious and without them individuals can’t access the support that they rely on.

“If we want people to continue to access their pensions online, social care support from local government or health services, we need to step up our cyber defences.

“The cyber threat is clear and growing. But government is acting – investing over £2 billion in cyber, retiring legacy IT systems and stepping up our skills and coordination.”

He added that the plans will enable government to “carry on providing the precious public services that we as citizens rely on”. However, he said that, while we have been making the very most of technology, “so too have cyber criminals”.

The UK Government cybersecurity strategy outlines how the public sector will “continue to ensure” that public services can function in the face of growing cyber threats.

The plan is to “step up the country’s cyber resilience” through stronger data practices, expertise, and capabilities to allow government to ‘Defend as One’.

Government data has revealed the massive impact of cyberattacks across the UK over the last few years. Between September 2020 and August 2021, around 40% of the 777 attacks that the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) managed were aimed at the public sector.

These included ransomware attacks on Redcar & Cleveland and Hackney Councils in 2020 which affected public services including council tax, benefits, and housing waiting lists. Gloucester City Council was also hit with a further cyberattack in 2021.

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The strategy enables members of the public to contribute to the effort, adding a new vulnerability reporting service allowing individuals to report weaknesses in digital services.

Core government functions, such as the delivery of essential public services, will be made “more resilient than ever before” to cyberattack from malicious actors, Barclay said.

Barclay’s announcement follows the recent publication of the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which called on all parts of society to ‘play their part’ in reinforcing the UK’s economic strengths in cyberspace.

Diversity in the workforce, levelling up the cyber sector, expanding offensive and defensive cyber capabilities and prioritising cybersecurity were all encouraged.

Government Chief Security Officer, Vincent Devine said: “We need this bold and ambitious strategy to ensure that government’s critical functions are significantly hardened to cyberattacks.

“The strategy is centred around two core pillars, the first focussing on building a strong foundation of organisational cybersecurity resilience; and the second aimed at allowing government to ‘defend as one’, harnessing the value of sharing data, expertise and capabilities.”

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