On 23 May 2018 Jeremy Wright QC said that the UK Government will not allow the internet to descend into a ‘lawless world’. The Attorney General set out the UK’s position on applying international law to cyberspace – for the first time.
Read more about the “Cyber and International Law in the 21st Century” speech below.
UK will name and shame state backers of cyber attacks
During his speech at Chatham House in central London, Jeremy Wright QC announced that going forward the UK will name and shame foreign states that hire hackers to carry out cyber attacks, including states that choose to interfere in national elections via the internet.
This is the first time any UK minister has given such a warning. The Attorney General is keen to ensure that international law stays up to speed with fast-growing technological development and that the international community does not ignore cyberspace problems.
On the day he said:
“If we accept that the challenges posed by cyber technology are too great for the existing framework of international law to bear, that cyberspace will always be a grey area, a place of blurred boundaries, then we should expect cyberspace to continue to become a more dangerous place.”
National Cyber Security Strategy
Jeremy Wright QC also noted progress on the National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS), which the Government is investing £1.9 billion into.
The UK’s active cyber defence programme has now been underway for over a year. During this time, it has been identified that an average of 4.5 million malicious emails are being sent every month.
The new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has a mandate to protect Britain’s interests in cyberspace against attacks like WannaCry and NotPetya. The Government has blamed the Russian military for the NotPetya ransomware attack, which started in Ukraine and spread globally.
Protect your business with Cyber Essentials
The UK Government is making major changes to protect the public sector against cyber attacks. This latest update should also give your business some food for thought when it comes to cyber security.
Is your business Cyber Essentials certified? Cyber Essentials certification protects a business from around 80% of common cyber attacks. All UK Ministry of Defence suppliers are expected to have this certification in place before a contract’s start date.
If you want to win work with the MOD, it is important that your company considers Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
Cyber Essentials Plus is recommended for businesses that are at risk of being the victim of a malicious cyber attack. It is the level above the foundation certification and provides a more rigorous test of your organisation’s cyber security systems.
View all our Cyber Essentials products here.
