Government must raise its game to fight `top four risk` to national security, MPs warn

Threats to cyber security are rapidly growing as the Government struggles to find staff with the skills to fight back, according to the House of Commons` Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Security breaches at Tesco, TalkTalk and Goole NHS Trust have emphasised the true risk of cyber crime which the PAC describes as one of the “top four risks” to national security since 2010. The PAC report says it has taken too long for the Government to “consolidate and co-ordinate its ‘alphabet soup’ of agencies involved in protecting Britain in cyberspace”. It also said there are “major and unexplained variations” in the reporting of security breaches which undermines the Cabinet Office’s ability to make informed decisions. In 2014/15, the 17 largest departments recorded 14 data incidents they considered reportable and 8,981 non-reportable incidents. Two thirds of the non-reportable total – 6,038 – was recorded by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs with the Ministry of Justice`s figure of 2,798, making up nearly a third. The other 15 departments recorded just 145 between them – less than two per cent of the total. Committee members also accused the Cabinet Office of not putting enough emphasis on informing the public on how to protect themselves from a cyber attack. According to the Barclays Digital Development Index, the UK is below Brazil, South Africa and China at keeping our laptops secure, which the report says is down to lack of support for the public sector from 450 `arm’s length bodies` which the Government spends £250 billion on annually. It was recommended that the Cabinet Office develop a detailed plan for the new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – designed to provide a unified source of advice and guidance on cyber crime – by the end of this financial year. The plan should explain “who it will support, what assistance it will provide and how it will communicate with organisations needing its assistance”. Among the recommendations, the PAC also urged the Government to “establish a clear approach for protecting information across the whole of the public sector”. Chair of the PAC, Meg Hillier, said: “Government has a vital role to play in cyber security across society but it needs to raise its game. Its approach to handling personal data breaches has been chaotic and does not inspire confidence in its ability to take swift, coordinated and effective action in the face of higher-threat attacks. “The threat of cyber crime is ever-growing yet evidence shows Britain ranks below Brazil, South Africa and China in keeping phones and laptops secure. In this context it should concern us all that the Government is struggling to ensure its security profession has the skills it needs. “Leadership from the centre is inadequate and, while the NCSC has the potential to address this, practical aspects of its role must be clarified quickly. “Government must communicate clearly to industry, institutions and the public what it is doing to maintain cyber security on their behalf and exactly how and where they can find support.” Meanwhile more than 2.5 million Xbox and PSP gamers have had their details stolen in a massive cyber breach of two games forums, it has been claimed. The XBOX360 ISO and PlayStation’s PSP ISO forum, both unofficial sites where players share links to download free and pirated versions of games, were reportedly targeted in September 2015. It is thought that email addresses and passwords were compromised in the hack and shared publicly online, according to monitoring sire haveibeenpwned.com Security experts are urging consumers to change passwords and review their security settings. Robert Capps from NuData Security warned internet users this was the latest reminder to use unique passwords across online accounts to keep data out of the hands of cyber criminals. “The recently disclosed data theft from the unofficial PlayStation and Xbox forums is yet another example of the need for consumers to be wary of who they provide their information to online,” h