UK Releases New Cybersecurity Plan

On November 25, 2011, Jack Clark wrote for ZDNet UK on Britain's new cybersecurity strategy.  The cybersecurity strategy, which can be found here, calls for the GCHQ (the British equivalent of the NSA) to take a greater role in British cybersecurity.  Moreover, the plan calls for the establishment of a cybersecurity "hub" that will "be set up as a brokerage for the public and private sectors to exchange information about threats and technologies." 

This hub concept is pretty interesting.  The article notes that the hub will basically be a information-sharing initiative for companies across the defense, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, energy, finance, and government sectors.  Moreover, the British government understood that it could not tackle the cybersecurity challenge alone, so it enlisted the aid of the private sector (which "owns, maintains and creates most of the very spaces we are seeking to defend") to help defend these networks.  Even more interesting, the article explains that the hub will force private businesses to share cybersecurity information with each other in a method that will form "uncomfortable partnerships."  Although the details are not set in stone, this arrangement could potentially have companies "sharing sensitive security knowledge with their peers." 

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Ben Rooney also covered Britain's new cybsecurity plan in an article for the Wall Street Journal.  Rooney stressed that Britain's cybsecurity plan is all about collaboration in that it encourages industry led guidance as opposed to clunky regulations (perhaps a guide for upcoming US legislation?).  Also, Rooney noted that the UK is trying to increase its global competitive advantage by billing itself as a “cyber safe” business center.  I find this business approach to national cybersecurity interesting, and perhaps another goal that US cyber legisation should strive to achieve.

The article also explained that the cyberscurity plan would create a group of volunteer Special Constables "with relevant specialist skills to help tackle cyber crime."  The name of these new constables?  iPlods.