UKC3 has welcomed a move by UK Government Ministers to warn of increasingly “hostile and frequent” cyber threats in the UK.
As the national body connecting 18 cyber clusters, UKC3 provides an option for direct engagement with regional ecosystems across the UK.
Between them, clusters from Kent to Scotland work alongside thousands of businesses and organisations on building capability, sharing knowledge and contributing to cyber growth.
Government ministers this week teamed up with the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency to write to the UK’s leading companies, urging them to take action on cyber security.
The letter warns that hostile cyber activity in the UK is growing more intense, frequent and sophisticated.
Dr Ismini Vasileiou, UKC3 co-chair and Cyber Skills lead, urged businesses to take advantage of funded training and upskilling opportunities happening around the country.
“The message from the Government is clear. Cyber threats are accelerating in both frequency and impact. The Ministers warn that a ‘direct and active threat’ is causing significant financial and social harm to UK businesses and citizens.
“Programmes and events delivered by our clusters are designed to address this – helping businesses of all sizes reduce risk and increase resilience.”
Supported by its 18 clusters, UKC3 continues to facilitate collaboration between industry, academia and government, uniting efforts to secure UK digital growth by ensuring that skills, education and awareness keep pace with the evolving threat landscape.
The Government is working on various measures to counter the cyber threat – such as through its Cyber Local programme, which has recently awarded £150,000 of funding to run cyber security programmes for East Midlands SMEs.
The letter – signed by Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall; Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves; Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle; and Minister for Security, Dan Jarvis, reads:
“The Government is taking significant action to counter the cyber threat and has developed tools to help businesses to defend themselves, but we cannot do this alone.
“We ask you and the CEOs and chairs of other leading UK companies to take the necessary steps to protect your business and our wider economy from cyber attacks.”
As part of the support UKC3 clusters offer, businesses can access practical workshops and expert mentoring as well as develop tailored cyber governance and resilience plans.
There is also the opportunity for workforce upskilling through structured training and the use of cyber security tools as well as joining a supportive digital network.
Government figures show that, in the past year, around 612,000 UK businesses and 61,000 charities reported experiencing cyber security breaches.
The NCSC published its annual review this week, along with the new Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses, which is designed to help sole traders and small organisations put in place some of the basic cyber security measures that help guard against the most common cyber threats.
Liz Kendall, the Secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “We’ve seen firsthand the disruption caused by cyber attacks on major British companies, hitting their bottom line and putting jobs at risk.
“The Government stands ready to help, but cyber security is an issue that demands leadership both from chief executives and right across the boardroom.
“It’s in that vein I am calling on them to take immediate action. We need companies to make sure they are better protected and better able to recover quickly if the worst happens.
“We are providing clear advice and practical tools, but with threats growing in scale and sophistication, business leaders need to step up their defences now and treat this as a strategic priority.”
