UK convenes international talks on cyber security

The UK has kicked off a three-day discussion with ‘like-minded’ nations on how to tackle the growing threat of cyber-attacks.

Taking place at Wilton Park in West Sussex, the talks involve the EU member states, Canada, Japan, and international organizations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

They will discuss, in particular, how global cyber security workforces can be strengthened, from agreeing on ways to boost cyber skills to developing new professional standards.

“The UK needs a significant improvement in its cyber defenses after the previous government failed to strengthen our cyber laws – we’re fixing that,” said cyber security minister Feryal Clark.

The discussions follow a series of cyber incidents, including the global IT outage, an attack on NHS service providers, and recent attempts to disrupt London’s transport network. And they will, says the government, result in a new report, with attendees set to agree on the key areas it should focus on. The recommendations are expected to be published by the end of the year.

In the meantime, the government is also launching a new scheme to deliver tailored support across regions of England and Northern Ireland. There will be funding for initiatives designed to address the cyber skills needs of particular areas, perhaps through apprenticeships or through new cyber security technologies.

The announcement follows the government’s recent move to designate data centers as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) alongside energy and water systems, making it easier for the government to support the sector in the event of critical incidents.

And it coincides with the publication of the latest figures from the government’s Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market Survey. These show that while the estimated annual shortfall for jobs in the UK’s cyber workforce has fallen from 11,200 last year to just 3,500 this year, 44% of UK businesses lack the basic skills to protect themselves from cyber-attacks.

Supporting UK cyber skills, it said, will boost the £11.9 billion cyber security industry and help protect growth in the UK economy.

To fund all this, the government’s making a total of £1.3 million available for organizations such as universities, local councils, and businesses to provide cyber skills training, as well as organizations developing new innovations in cyber defense across Northern Ireland and England.

Applications for the scheme, to be delivered by Innovate UK, are now open and will see grants of up to £150,000 awarded to winning applicants by March 2025.

Alongside this, the UK government has also launched a competition to find the best young cyber talent to represent the UK on the international stage.

“Later this year, we’ll bring forward new measures to better protect the nation from cyber-crime and our new regional skills programme will support the next generation of cyber talent and innovators,” said Clark.

“But this is a shared challenge, which is why we’re bringing together global allies to discuss and agree steps to keep us safe online, improve cyber skills and protect our economy and public services.”