The government of the United Kingdom has revealed its cybersecurity strategy for its upcoming civil nuclear sector. These plans are expected to increase security design and improve collaboration and troubleshooting.
Experts stated that this move made by the UK government is a much-needed upgrade since their country boasts the oldest civil nuclear power program worldwide, which began back in the 1950s with the opening of Calder Hall.
Since many governments are trying to achieve zero carbon emissions by taking advantage of the availability of technology, there are also possible threats of cyberattacks. For this reason, the UK has decided to publish their 2022 Civil Nuclear Cyber Security Strategy.
According to researchers, the British government’s cybersecurity strategy is to be outlined by four fundamental objectives that they should achieve within four years.
The first part of the plan prioritises cybersecurity as a risk management approach and outcome-centric regulation.
Proactively mitigate cyber risk in the sector and its supply chain against a backdrop of legacy and emerging technologies. The second part of the cybersecurity strategy is to enhance the resiliency of their cyber security by preparing better for incoming and unexpected attacks from threat actors.
The third part of the plan is to collaborate more closely with other cybersecurity researchers to develop skills and endorse a security-first culture. The published report also outlines several commitments to get to the UK’s goals.
The last objective is that the nuclear industry will also prepare a baseline of supply chain security standards, collaborative third party and component management, and work alongside the nuclear technology developers on security.
The Energy Minister of the UK then stated that both the cyber-threat and digital technologies should continue to evolve for the better. The Minister also added that cyber-risks management requires organisational effort, strong regulations, sector-wide collaboration, and positive security cultures.
The United Kingdom’s plans for their cybersecurity future may be challenging to achieve, but with the right amount of commitment and the effort to collaborate with other security researchers, reaching a net-zero future will be possible.
