The UK government has unveiled a £210 million cyber action plan aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of online public services as cyber threats to the public sector continue to increase.
The plan, announced in London on January 6, aims to protect key digital services used by millions of citizens every day, including social benefits, tax systems and healthcare platforms. It will be monitored by a new government cyber unit tasked with coordinating defense efforts across departments and holding public bodies accountable for remediating vulnerabilities.
The investment is part of the government’s wider digital transformation agenda, which aims to expand access to online services, reduce administrative burdens and deliver up to £45 billion in productivity improvements across the public sector.
Digital Government Minister Ian Murray said cyberattacks pose a direct threat to the functioning of the state.
“Cyberattacks can knock vital public services offline in minutes and disrupt our digital services and way of life,” he said. “This plan sets new benchmarks for strengthening our public sector’s defenses and puts cyber criminals on notice that we are going further and faster to protect the UK’s businesses and public services alike.”
“This is how we keep people safe, keep services running and build a government the public can trust in the digital age.”
The plan comes amid growing concerns about the level of cyber risk facing public institutions. According to the National Cyber Security Center, the number of serious cyberattacks increased by 50 percent last year.
Andy Ward, senior vice president international at Absolute Security, said the government’s focus on resilience was overdue.
“Our research shows that 59 percent of CISOs already see cyber as the biggest threat to the UK, ahead of AI and other emerging risks,” he said. “We have seen firsthand how high-level cyberattacks can result in costly operational outages if defenses are not strong enough.
“This year, resilience must remain top of mind. Organizations must not only be able to prevent attacks, but also be able to quickly detect threats, manage disruptions and return to full operations with minimal delay.”
Sawan Joshi, group head of information security at FDM Group, warned that the pace of attacks is accelerating.
“According to the NCSC, the UK is currently experiencing four nationally significant cyberattacks every week,” he said. “In this environment, it is important that both government and businesses take decisive action.
“Measures to secure public services are critical, but true cyber resilience also depends on continued training and sustained investment in developing the next generation of cyber talent.”
Ministers say cyber resilience is now central to the Government’s mission of national renewal. Secure, reliable digital public services are seen as critical to protecting citizens, supporting economic growth and creating value for taxpayers, while maintaining trust in the systems communities rely on every day.
