News story

Defence partnership tackles cyber security risks

The government and a group of Britain's leading defence and security companies are working together to bolster the UK's cyber security.

• From: Ministry of Defence, Government Communications Headquarters and Philip Dunne
• Published: 5 July 2013

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Cyber security (stock image)

The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP) aims to meet the emerging threat to the UK defence supply chain by increasing awareness of cyber risks, sharing threat intelligence, and defining risk-driven approaches to applying cyber security standards.

Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne, said:

I’m absolutely delighted by the level of commitment shown by the participating companies in helping us to build our national resilience against cyber attack, and I look forward to more of our key contractors coming on board.

This is a clear demonstration that government and industry can work together – sharing information, experience and expertise – to make sure we do everything we can to protect these critical networks, ensuring that the business of Defence is robustly protected.

UK Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne (library image) [Picture: Neil Houghton, Crown copyright]

By sharing experience of operating under the constant threat of sophisticated cyber attack, the DCPP will identify and implement actions that have a real impact on the cyber defences of its members and the UK defence sector as a whole. The DCPP model is intended to lead the way in industry collaboration and action on cyber security, and to act as a useful template to be followed by commercial sectors to improve resilience across UK industry.

Working with the trade associations ADS and Intellect, the DCPP will raise awareness and improve the understanding of cyber security risks. In particular they will highlight the need for protective measures which should increase the security of the wider defence supply chain and define an approach to implementing cyber security standards across its members and its supply chain partners.

The DCPP will be able to provide guidance to organisations in the defence supply chain and complement the work on organisational standards being led by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Vic Leverett, DCPP Chair, commented:

This is an issue which demands a concerted and co-ordinated approach between government and industry, and the DCPP is a critical component of this. Collaboration between industries and with government has been first class, reflecting the joint commitment to succeed with our 2013 objectives. The whole is proving to be significantly better than the sum of the parts.

Government Communications Headquarters (stock image) [Picture: Crown copyright]

Organisations within the DCPP will also share threat intelligence and wider expertise on tackling cyber threats from the defence sector with other industry sectors and government through the recently announced national Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership.

The partnership includes the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, Government Communications Headquarters, the Ministry of Defence and 9 companies: BAE Systems, BT, Cassidian, CGI, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, Selex ES and Thales UK.

Find out more about the government’s policy on keeping the UK safe in cyber space

Published 5 July 2013