Recent cyber incidents

This year (2024) saw several councils across the UK experience damaging cyber-attacks. And in October 2023, the British Library in London was the victim of a ransomware attack. The NCSC assisted with the forensic investigation on the UK’s national library, but by then the damage had been done – it was reported that hundreds of thousands of files had already been stolen.     

UK is at an inflection point  

Dr Richard Horne, the new CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, believes the UK is at an “inflection point”. In a speech marking the NCSC’s eighth annual review, he stated:  

“We find ourselves now in a contest for cyberspace. It’s a contest between those of us who are using technology to conduct and improve our lives and prosperity and those people who seek to use our digital dependency against us.”  

Dr Horne added: “What has struck me more forcefully than anything else since taking the helm at the NCSC is the widening gap between the exposure and threat we face, and the defences that are in place to protect us. And what is equally clear to me is that we all need to increase the pace we are working at to keep ahead of our adversaries.”  

It is understood the “underestimated” warning is directed at public and private sector organisations in the UK. 

The NCSC’s mission is to make the UK the safest place to live and work online, which aligns with Quorum Cyber’s mission to make the digital world safer for as many organisations as possible.  

The Government Cyber Security Strategy report for 2022 to 2030 details the UK government’s commitment to significantly strengthening cyber security for all public sector organisations. But what can local and regional government organisations do now to protect their assets and their data from harm?  

Embedding security into every decision 

Cyber security needs to be seen not just as a defensive mechanism or insurance policy against threats, but as a value driven part of all aspects of decision making for public sector organisations. While strengthening an organisation’s cyber security is essential today, it’s also important to bolster cyber resilience so that if an attack does get through your defences, you can bounce back to business as usual, as safely and quickly as possible.  

When decisions are made around transformation and service delivery, we must carefully consider how this impacts cyber posture, outreach into communities, and how the contact point – in many cases, the citizens themselves – needs to both trust and adopt something new.   

Protecting you before, during, and after any cyber incident

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security with over 330 team members, Quorum Cyber is perfectly placed to help defend local and regional government bodies from harm. We already defend customers across the public sector, including Devon County Council, Renfrewshire Council, and South Ayrshire Council.   

To begin with, our Cyber Resilience Assessment is designed to give you a solid understanding of your current exposure to cyber risk. 

We provide the full range of managed and professional cyber security services including:  

• Managed detection and response services: Clarity Defend, Clarity Extend, and Clarity Protect  

• Data protection: Clarity Data, to protect you before, during, and after any kind of cyber-attack.  

• Incident Response: Our CREST-accredited Incident Response team offers an Incident Response Retainer, Incident Response Preparedness, and Emergency Incident Response.   

Public Sector Cyber Resilience Webinar

Join us on Tuesday 14th January 2025, from 1:30 to 2:30PM, for a webinar to help local government organisations understand how standards and frameworks can build resilience. In ‘Going Beyond Cyber Compliance’ our panel of experts will discuss the implications of the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for local authorities and provide practical steps for getting the most from aligning with the CAF and other standards and frameworks.  

Why not register today? Or get in touch with our team to find out more about Quorum Cyber and how we support the public sector.