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The British government is setting up a new agency to combat “Chinese cyber spies and other threats,” the media reported.
According to a new report in The Register, the agency is called the National Protective Security Agency (NPSA) and will answer directly to MI5. The news was broken by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who explained that the NPSA is part of the government’s effort to refresh its security (opens in new tab) strategy, known as the “Integrated Review”.
As part of the revamp, the country’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund will be replaced by an Integrated Security Fund, which will have a budget of $1.22 billion.
Training and educating
The funding will be used to “achieve the core objectives of the Integrated Review at home and around the world, including in the areas of economic and cyber security, counter-terrorism and human rights”.
NPSA’s work includes training businesses, schools and non-profit organizations about the importance of cybersecurity and advising them on how to sharpen their cybersecurity stance. At the same time, NPSA will work with local law enforcement agencies to “protect against terrorist attacks,” it said.
In addition, the NPSA is expected to work closely with other government agencies, such as the NCSC (National Cyber Security Center) and the NCTSO (National Counter Terrorism Security Office), to provide “holistic protective security advice.”
“Science, technology and academia are as much on the front line of national security as the UK’s critical national infrastructure,” the Registry Security Minister Tom Tugendhat was quoted as saying.
“We know that hostile actors are trying to steal intellectual property from British institutions to harm our country,” Tugendhat added. “The National Protective Security Authority will play a vital role in helping companies and universities better protect themselves and maintain their competitive advantage.”
The Chinese cyber spies and “other threats” the MI5 is interested in are unknown, though it’s safe to assume they include APT41, APT31 and other groups with close ties to the Chinese government.
Via: The Registry (opens in new tab)
