UK Government Pledges Security Skills and R&D Funding

The UK government has pledged more money to address the IT security skills crisis and improve hardware and IoT security, although details on the latter are vague. An announcement made on Data Protection Day yesterday claimed the UK plans to be a world leader in “designing out” cyber-threats, by funding R&D into more secure-by-design hardware and chips. The £70m investment will be made through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and backed by further investment from industry, although there were no further details. An additional £30m will be made available for the Ensuring the Security of Digital Technology at the Periphery program, to improve IoT security. “We want the UK to be a safer place to live and work online. We’re moving the burden away from consumers to manufacturers, so strong cybersecurity is built into the design of products,” said digital minister, Margot James. “This funding will help us work with industry to do just that, improving the strength and resilience of hardware to better protect consumers from cyber-attacks.”