Infrastructure Protection
The most important elements of the UK infrastructure
are our vital systems and services, such as communications
and utilities. These are known collectively as the Critical
National Infrastructure (CNI).
Protecting the CNI from terrorists
We have long provided protective security advice to
key sectors and installations that are critical to the
country's economic and social well-being. Our experience
of domestic terrorist attacks over the past 30 years
has shown that these arrangements have made an effective
contribution to the counter-terrorism effort.
We provide tailored advice to a variety of industries,
as well as individual companies and public sector organisations,
about how to make contingency arrangements and provide
protective security. This advice comes from the Security
Service (M15) and other sources.
This is an ongoing process and, for understandable
reasons, it would be inappropriate to give details of
what advice is provided to which organisations.
For advice generally for businesses, see 'What
can you do? (At work)'.
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Protecting the CNI from electronic attack
The Home Secretary has lead responsibility for protecting
the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) from electronic
attack through the National Infrastructure Security
Co-ordination Centre (NISCC), which reports to him.
The overall programme of NISCC work includes:
- Identifying the threat of electronic attack in general
- Identifying the vulnerabilities within software
and working with government and the private sector
to remedy this
- Working with industry and government to provide
practical advice and encourage proper security
- Raising awareness generally
- Opening dialogue with international partners
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The threat from electronic attack
- NISCC have assessed that the threat from electronic
attack is increasing, but the risk from the sort of
attack that would deface or deny service from a website
is higher than that which would knock out a critical
service to the nation.
- Our government systems are well defended, and NISCC
has assessed that the companies whose systems are
critical to the national infrastructure are also well
defended with a good standard of security in place.
- We are continually monitoring this threat. Although
we have well-established defences, we are not complacent.
No department or organisation can regard itself as
immune, and defensive work is kept under constant
review.
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More about NISCC
It is NISCC's role to work alongside private- and public-sector
companies to offer advice and information about threats
and protection against them. But of course, there is
a limit to what their internal resources can do. It
is therefore up to companies that make up the CNI to
take their own responsibility for IT protection and
security issues.
NISCC works in partnership with CNI organisations in
seeking to promote good information assurance. Its job
is to provide information and advice, not to regulate.
To learn more about how to protect against electronic
attack, and for details on the latest vulnerabilities
and patches, go to the NISCC website.
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