The UK government on Monday launched the first national Computer Emergency Response Team [CERT-UK] to combat cyber-crime.
The CERT launched by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, deals with the “cybersecurity incidents” that are of national significance.
Chris Gibson, former director of e-Crime at Citigroup, is taking up the lead role as director of CERT-UK which will have 55 members in total.
The unit, which was initially set to launch in 2013 end, intends to co-ordinate with the UK’s cyber security defenses to tackle threats ranging from hackers and cyber criminals to state-sponsored cyber-attacks.
The CERT-UK is responsible for coordinating the management of national cyber security incidents providing advice and alerts to government, industry and academia. The unit also helps in protecting national infrastructure from cyber threats for more resilience.
CERT-UK will also also act as a peer to its international partners, sharing technical information on attacks to manage cyber incidents that cross national borders.
Speaking at the launch, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude noted that around 93 percent of large corporations have faced a breach in the past financial year, resulting in an average attack cost between £450,000 and £850,000 for each. He also claimed that one London based company lost revenue of worth £800 million following a security breach.
“Cyber threats to the UK are diffuse, unpredictable and generally anonymous. They could come from organised criminals based in another continent; or they could come from a teenage computer hacker closer to home,” Maude said.
“At the sharp end, the CERT will take the lead in co-ordinating the management of national cyber-security incidents. One area where it will play a particularly important role is in providing support to our Critical National Infrastructure companies.”
Maude added “CERT-UK will provide an authoritative voice to those agencies and organisations that are helping the UK to become more resilient and to prosper in the internet age. It will also share information with companies to promote situational awareness and effective mitigation of threats.”
The CERT-UK follows the launch of the Cyber Information Sharing Partnership (CISP) last year. CISP delivers a key component of the national cyber security strategy in facilitating information-sharing on cyber threats. CERT-UK is aiming to help UK businesses improve their cyber awareness through CISP.
