The Ministry of Defence has unveiled plans for a new cyber security centre, in a bid to improve its own protection from online attacks.
The MoD oversees the vast Defence Information Infrastructure, a secure military network used by defence civil servants and all three strands of the UK’s armed force across thousands of sites.
A 2013 report by MPs on the defence committee warned that an attack on the MoD’s networks could leave the armed forces “fatally compromised”, and last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) promised £1.9bn of investment in cyber security measures over the course of the parliament.
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As part of that investment, the new Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) is expected to be located at the Ministry of Defence’s site in Corsham, Wiltshire, with the MoD saying it would “transform” the ministry’s operational cyber security capabilities and “protect the MOD’s cyberspace from malicious actors”.
Defence secretary Michael Fallon added: “This new operations centre will ensure that our armed forces continue to operate securely. “Our increasing defence budget means that we can stay ahead of our adversaries in cyberspace while also investing in conventional capabilities.”
