The government has announced its latest initiative to fight cyber crime in business - the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
The scheme will see the public sector joining forces with private sector companies, sharing the information they have about cyber threats so a more unified approach to prevent hackers from breaking into their systems.
"The Centre will be the bridge between industry and government, simplifying the current complex structures, providing a unified source of advice and support, including on managing incidents," Matt Hancock, Minister for the Cabinet Office, explained. "It will be a single point of contact for the private and public sectors alike."
Ciaran Martin, who will head up the National Cyber Security Centre as CEO explained the facility will unify intelligence from CESG, the information security arm of GCHQ, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, CERT-UK and the Centre for Cyber Assessment, sharing knowledge and using it to identify and address vulnerabilities.
"Whilst retaining access to the world-leading capabilities, partnerships and people of the intelligence community, this new centre will have an open door' policy which will make it easier for businesses of all sizes to get the best support available for cyber issues," Ben Gummer, minister for the Cabinet Office and paymaster general, added.
The NCSC's first project will be working with the Bank of England to advise other companies in the financial sector about the impact of cyber crime on their business.
Another scheme will be to work with some of the biggest companies in the UK to set up a giant firewall, which will be used to filter malicious content and websites.
"Given the industrial-scale theft of intellectual property from our companies and universities, as well as the numerous phishing and malware scams that waste time and money, the NCSC shows that the UK is focusing its efforts to combat the threats that exist online," Robert Hannigan, director of GCHQ, added.
