UK.gov: 'Foreign cyber reconnaissance' underway in UK

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/04/cyber_security_strategy/

By John Leyden
The Register
4th December 2012

Foreign states may already have used malware to map the networks that 
support the UK's critical infrastructure systems, the government 
admitted.

The admission by government officials came in the run-up to a 
parliamentary statement by Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, 
marking the first anniversary of the UK's government's National Cyber 
Security Strategy.

Maude highlighted future work on a new UK National Computer Emergency 
Response team, further work on education and skills, Cyber Reservists 
for the MoD and a partnership with the private sector to boost the cyber 
security sector in the UK. He pointed out that the private sector is the 
largest economic victim of crime-crime, such as IP theft, and from 
economic espionage perpetrated through cyberspace, as well as 
highlighting efforts to improvement the protection of the UK's critical 
infrastructure in a written statement to parliament on Monday (3 
December).

"We have invested in new and unique capabilities for GCHQ to identify 
and analyse hostile cyber attacks in order to protect our core networks 
and services and support the UK’s wider cyber security mission," Maude 
said. "I cannot reveal details of this work, but it has broadened and 
deepened our understanding of the threat, helping us prioritise and 
direct defensive efforts."

[...]

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