IA14 The Government's Information Assurance Event

Titania is attending IA14, the ‘government’s flagship event on cyber security and information assurance’. Hosted at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel, London over 16 – 17 June 2014, the event was designed to provide a platform for discussion across government IT, public sector, industry and academia. The debates will focus on how the UK can become an international authority in information security.

Having recently attended information security conferences on both sides of the Atlantic, Titania’s delegate, Andy Williams will be able to share relevant insights with corporate and public sector representatives.

Source: cesg.gov.uk

Conference

IA14 comes shortly after the launch of the Cyber Essentials Scheme and it is likely to be a point of interest at the conference. Another recent initiative in UK’s cyber security policy that IA14 participants can expect to hear about is the CBEST framework, established by CREST (Council for Registered Ethical Security Testers) and the Bank of England. 

Combining government views with industry voices, the keynote speeches promise to reflect a balanced perspective of the cyber security landscape. Ciaran Martin and Iain Lobban of GCHQ, along with Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP comment on behalf of the Cabinet Office. Bringing industry views are Kathy Warden of Northrop Grumman Information Systems, Symantec’s Samir Kapuria, while Lionel Barber, editor at the Financial Times, will be chairing a panel session.

Streams

Aside from the conference, delegates have the opportunity to observe four streams, organised as collective panels between industry, government and CESG.

The first stream illustrates the challenges of globalisation for the security industry, with issues from manufacturing, international trade and what constitutes an acceptable security promise from vendors. Also included are a comparative look at the cloud service providers, national and international context, and a talk from CESG on new cloud security principles.

The second stream addresses the problem of an ever-changing threat landscape for Government, industry and citizens, by looking at information sharing across governmental departments. Delegates will also have the chance to hear updates on the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership.

Stream three looks at the Secure by Default strategy and features Chemring Technology Solutions as a compelling case study on secure voice communications.

The fourth stream brings Andrew Gracie from the Bank of England and Ian Glover, CREST President, together to explain the corroborated efforts behind CBEST and its benefits to risk-management. Atkins debates the critical vulnerabilities faced by ICS (Industrial Control Systems). Finally, one of the most acute questions in cyber security today: “Why system users don’t simply follow the rules?” is discusses by Prof. Angela Sasse in the context of psychology and human behaviour. Dr. Emma Philpott of the Malvern Cyber Security Cluster concludes the session with a speech on the full leverage that SMEs can exercise in the supply chain.

Exhibition

The exhibition does not fall short of great industry names either. With exhibitors such as BAE Systems, Surevine, Blue Coat Systems, Blackthorn, Symantec, Nexor and Skyscape, delegates and public sector officials will have the opportunity to find the most up to date tools and solutions available in the industry.

Titania at the Official Cyber Essentials Scheme Launch

Andy Williams (Titania's CSO) was present yesterday, at the invite of the office of Rt. Hon. David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, for the official launch of the Cyber Essentials Scheme. The event was hosted by the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales) and it was aimed to educate companies on the benefits of adopting the scheme and how best to apply it to businesses. 

Cyber Essential Scheme Launch. Credits: @ICAEW

The scheme, which stands as a guidance and certification reference point, will work alongside other cyber security accreditation bodies (such as the Information Security Forum or British Standards Institution). As such, businesses will be granted the opportunity to qualify for badges that would display how security conscious they are. 

Although the government announced it does not intend to impose legal requirements, it has stated that starting on October 1st, all suppliers bidding for information that handles personal and sensitive contracts in the public sector will need to be Cyber Essentials certified. Early adoption by a few high-profile names such as BAE Systems, KPMG and Barclays show that the scheme was received with enthusiasm. Also, the insurance industry is keen to support the integration of the scheme into their standards.

The scheme is overseen by CREST, the not-for-profit organisation that represents and certifies the information security industry, who collaborated alongside CESG to develop the assessment framework for the scheme. For those interested, badges are already accessible: IASME offers self-assessment path and CREST has a 2-level accreditation available. 

Among information security professionals reactions were positive, but at times reserved. The general consensus was that while the scheme is great for getting the basis of cyber security into place, sustained efforts are needed. 

Peter Wood observes that this is certainly ‘better than nothing at all’ as it addresses the lack of cyber security education for small to mid-sized businesses, which could really benefit from governmental help. Other experts agree that while it is a good starting measure, it shouldn't be seen as a complete solution and as in order to achieve noticeable results, the scheme needs continuous refinement in the long-term. 

Andy Williams thinks that "building on the government's '10 Steps to Cyber Security' launched in 2012, the Cyber Essentials Scheme is an useful next step in raising awareness of basic cyber hygiene standards that, if met, can help businesses protect themselves against cyber attacks. It will be interesting to see how many companies pursue the certification. The government's stated intention to ultimately require all of its suppliers to be CES certified will certainly help to encourage the adoption of the scheme across the UK."

It has been reported that the framework does not yet include guidance around business orientated issues such as business management, IT governance or employee awareness. Organisations would find it useful to have one source that is trusted to be up to date and reliable in these areas to help curb confusion. 

The Cyber Essentials Scheme lays down a good basic foundation and the legislative side gives it a more determined approach, suggesting that the Government is starting to recognise cyber security as a major national issue. The Queen’s Speech in the Houses of Parliament saw the proposal of 11 new laws, including a ‘Serious Crime Bill’ which suggests appropriate jail sentences for cyber crime in order to fully reflect the damage inflicted by a cyber attack. 

UK Cyber Minister Mentions Titania in Annual Cyber Strategy Review

We were delighted to receive a mention in yesterday’s speech in Westminster by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, in his annual review of the UK’s progress towards the objectives of the national Cyber Security Strategy.  

During his speech, the Minister announced the government’s new target for the UK to achieve £2 billion of cyber exports annually by 2016.

In doing so, he specifically mentioned Titania, a UK SME already supplying its cyber software to 50 countries, as an example of the type of company in “the industries of the future that can help the UK achieve strong lasting growth and compete and win in the global race.”

Andy Williams, Titania’s Head of Global Business, who also sits on the board of the UK’s public/private Cyber Growth Partnership, said: “We appreciate the government’s active support for UK cyber SMEs, from which we have already substantially benefited. As Titania continues to expand into new overseas markets, we look forward to increasing our contribution towards the UK’s achievement of what is an ambitious but eminently achievable target of £2 billion for cyber exports.”

The mention comes around 8 minutes in. 

For more stories about Titania, please visit our news & media page.