The National Cyber Security Centre Contemplates Establishing a Branch in Scotland

Hey folks, we have some pretty cool news to share with you coming out of, of all places, Scotland! Now, you might be confused – Scotland and cybersecurity? But bear with me, it’s all quite exciting and pretty high-tech.

First, some context for our not-so-tech-savvy readers. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), found nestled in the heart of London, is part of the mega-spooky UK Government intelligence squad, GCHQ. They were set up back in the fall of 2016, and their job has been to provide cybersecurity for the entire UK. Snazzy, right?

But that’s not where their influence ends. The NCSC has been making waves as of late, and it’s all to do with our pals in the North – specifically Scotland.

Picture this: A bunch of intelligence experts hopping on a train or (who knows?) maybe even hopping on their bikes for a day trip in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It’s decidedly less James Bond, but bear with me. Their mission, should they choose to accept it (and they did), was to meet with like-minded folks in Scotland to talk shop about ways they’re all tackling cyber attacks.

In these meetings, they hung out with the Scottish National Cyber Resilience Leaders’ Board and the Scottish Resilience Partnership. And their primary focus? To discuss the menacing cyber threat cloud looming overhead and everyone’s role in fighting against it. They chatted about how they could play nice, join forces, and work together more efficiently.

They also had a sit down with the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament to chat about handling emergencies and risk management. This comes after a rough ‘brute force’ cyber attack on the Scottish Parliament and some pretty nasty ransomware attacks on the NHS in Scotland, and across the UK.

But that’s not all, they even took a field trip to the University of Edinburgh, which was recently crowned as Scotland’s first UK Government-approved center of excellence for cybersecurity research. Talk about an honor!

At the end of this whirlwind tour, Ciaran Martin, the big boss at the NCSC, offered some perspective. He said, “We really want to help Scotland seize the digital age with both hands, and to do that, we need to join forces to cut down the growing cyber threats.” In essence, the name of the game is forging solid relationships with the public sector and businesses in Scotland. The goal? To build up defenses against threats while reacting quickly and efficiently when the defenses falter.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we’re no strangers to this growing cybersecurity scene. So, we’re pretty thrilled to see our brethren across the pond taking these threats seriously. Martin’s right- attacks can come from all corners and at any time.

But with friends like these at the NCSC, we have a feeling Scotland’s cybersecurity future is looking pretty darn secure.

by Morgan Phisher | HEAL Security