Policy paper

DCMS cyber security newsletter - October 2022

Published 5 October 2022

1. Director’s message

One of the threads that runs through the National Cyber Strategy is a ‘whole of society’ approach to cyber. This means the government, business, academia, the general public and the cyber sector itself working together in partnership to make the UK one of the best protected countries in the world. I got to see this in action last week at the International Cyber Expo, where I delivered the opening keynote speech on how the UK Government is working to ensure the UK remains a world leading cyber power. I was also pleased to see some of the companies that have been on our growth and innovation programmes, Cyber Runway and CyberASAP, at the conference.

On the subject of Cyber Runway it was great to see the launch of this year’s Grow and Scale streams last month. Thirty six companies will take part in the programme, which will cover subjects such as marketing, investment and leadership. They will also be able to build the connections essential to growing and scaling a successful business. As part of Cyber Runway there will be four regional events taking place across the UK in October and November. I encourage you to sign up and attend.

The UK Government is funding new research to uncover vulnerabilities in commonly used Internet of Things products and assess the cyber resilience of these devices. The successful bidder will be awarded up to £200,000 to test popular devices and help identify if current security measures and guidance, such as international standards and NCSC device security principles, are robust enough to protect businesses from evolving threats. If you are interested, please do apply.

Finally, October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, with a wide range of activity happening across the community over the next four weeks.
 

Erika Lewis

Director, Cyber Security and Digital Identity

2. Cyber Runway launches ‘Grow’ and ‘Scale’ streams

Plexal have revealed the 36 cyber startups, SMEs and scaleups joining the Grow and Scale streams of the DCMS-funded Cyber Runway accelerator.  

Cyber Runway provides UK cyber companies with the business skills, connections and product development to help them grow and develop. The programme has also been designed to address some of the biggest challenges facing the industry, such as diversity and inclusion, and regional representation.

The 2022 Cyber Runway cohort includes some of the most innovative and high-potential cyber startups in the UK solving challenges like ransomware, zero-day attacks, secure authentication, incident response and improving cyber awareness.

3. Cyber Runway regional events: book now

Registration is now open for the regional events that are running as part of Cyber Runway. The events offer two days of speeches, panel discussions and networking to provide cyber companies across the UK a chance to learn new skills and make new connections.

The events are:
Bristol, October 11th and 12th
Manchester, October 19th and 20th
Belfast, Nov 14th and 15th (invitation details will be available soon)
Scotland, November 23rd and 24th

4. Up to £200,000 available to test security of smart devices

Organisations can now apply for funding to support research into the cyber security of office devices which can connect to the internet - such as printers, cameras, and room booking systems - to ensure they are properly protected against hackers.

The successful bidder will be awarded up to £200,000 to test popular devices and help identify if current security measures and guidance, such as international standards and NCSC device security principles, are robust enough to protect businesses from evolving threats.

The grant is part of the government’s National Cyber Strategy and complements the Product Security and Telecommunications infrastructure bill currently going through parliament.

5. £15,000 funding available for hardware testing programme

Tech accelerator Digital Catapult is looking for companies to take part in the second cohort of their Digital Security by Design: Technology Access Programme. Successful companies will receive £15,000 in funding.

Funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Programme provides tech companies access to trial and experiment with Arm’s Morello system-on-a-chip and demonstrator board based on CHERI, a new instruction set architecture developed by the University of Cambridge. These technologies have been designed to eliminate most memory safety issues in C and C++, which lead to more than 70% of software vulnerabilities.

Interested companies can request a prototype DSbD board through the dsbd.tech website.

6. Cyber Essentials survey: call for responses

As part of the government’s work to improve cyber resilience across the UK economy we are seeking to better understand how organisations engage with Cyber Essentials to improve their online defences.

To help shape our future strategy please fill out this short survey on why you use Cyber Essentials, what technical challenges you currently face and whether Cyber Essentials is a suitable tool to address third-party risks.

7. CyberFirst Girls Competition: registration open

The National Cyber Security Centre is once again running the CyberFirst Girls’ Competition to encourage more girls and those identifying as female to consider computer science at school and as a future career path. 

The competition is designed for pupils in Year 8 in England and Wales, Year 9 in Northern Ireland, and S2 in Scotland to introduce these groups to cyber security, why it matters, and to show them where it could take them in the future

As we rely more on social media, online shopping, and online services as part of our everyday lives, we need the right talent in place to protect us from online threats. The competition helps identify the talent of the future to fill the skills gap in cyber security. Please encourage pupils to sign up to the competition here.

8. Ethnic Minority in Cyber Symposium event - 11 October

The UK Cyber Security Council is running an Ethnic Minority in Cyber Symposium on Tuesday 11 October at The Auditorium, Leonardo Royal Hotel, London.

The event will provide a platform for ethnic minority people in the UK cyber sector to share their experiences and expertise, and explore how representation and diversity can be encouraged in the tech industry. Speakers include Dr Claudia Natanson MBE and Simon Hepburn from the Cyber Security Council; Professor Prashant Pillai, Chair of the Ethnic Minorities in Cyber network and Irfan Hemani, Deputy Director of Cyber Security, DCMS.

9. CyberWomen@Warwick Conference 2022 - 26 October

The CyberWomen@Warwick conference is a student-led initiative, created to inspire women to join the cyber security industry. Taking place on Wednesday 26 October at the University of Warwick, there will be a full day of incredible speakers, networking opportunities, and a lunch provided for attendees. 

Cyber security professionals from across the UK will be in attendance and the event will provide an exciting opportunity to ask questions and explore the industry. Those with both technical and non-technical backgrounds are welcome.