UK Cyber Security Strategy - even more bureaucracy, but no financial budget, legislative power or democratic accountibility

wtwu

on June 27, 2009 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Back in November 2007, Spy Blog commented: Countering terrorism with more quangos - more detail of Gordon Brown's security statement

The Labour Government has now published, without bothering to consult the general public, its first public UK Cyber Security Strategy, "coincidentally" in the same week as the US government re-launched their own military Cyberspace Command plans.

Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom - safety, security and resilience in cyber space - June 2009 (.pdf 32 pages)

New Cyber Organisations

The Cyber Security Strategy sets out the Government's plans to establish two new organisations, both of which will be established in September 2009, and will be operational by the end of March 2010:

An Office of Cyber Security (OCS) to provide strategic leadership for and coherence across Government. The OCS will establish and oversee a cross-government programme to address priority areas in pursuit of the UK's strategic cyber security objectives.

A Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) that will bring together existing functions: to actively monitor the health of cyber space and co-ordinate incident response; to enable better understanding of attacks against UK networks and users; and to provide better advice and information about the risks to business and the public.

[...]

3.22 Both new structures will be established in September 2009 and will be operational by the end of March 2010.

Some obvious Spy Blog questions:

Does either the Office of Cyber Security or the Cyber Security Operations Centre

have an elected Cabinet Minister directly responsible for it, and democratically accountable for its failures (or, in theory, responsible for its successes) ?
have even a junior elected Minister directly responsible for it, and democratically accountable for its failures (or, in theory, responsible for its successes) ?
have even a senior Civil Servant of Permanent Secretary rank directly responsible for it, and professionally accountable for its failures (or, in theory, responsible for its successes) ?
have any independent budget to spend on Cyber Security ? If so, then how much ?
replace any of the other existing bureaucratic agencies, offices, departments, quangos, non-departmental government bodies etc, ?
have any planned strong statutory legal enforcement powers i.e. criminal prosecutions with fines and or prison sentences ?
have any planned weak statutory legal enforcement powers e.g. like the Information Commissioner ?
have the power to cancel or amend Government IT projects and IT contracts if they are fail the Cyber Security standards ?
have the power to cancel or amend Government IT projects and IT contracts if they fail the Privacy and Liberty Proportionality criteria ?
be easily and securely contactable by the general public via secure SSL/ TLS encrypted web response forms, or PGP encrypted emails or by (freephone) telephone ?
be easily and securely contactable by the people who look after Critical National Infrastructure systems via secure SSL/ TLS encrypted web response forms, or PGP encrypted emails or by (freephone) telephone ?
be easily and securely contactable by the general public or by Critical National Infrastructure people, most of whom work in the private sector, 24hours a day, 7days a week, including holidays ?

If, as we suspect, the answers to most of these questions is "no", then this UK Cyber Security Strategy is worse than useless, and is just some more Must Be Seen To Be Doing Something political propaganda.

This "strategy" looks like something which the now defunct Office of the e-Envoy and the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit both failed to achieve.

Wading through the "engagement / stakeholder / addressing / combating" etc. spin doctor / management consultant nuspeak, some paragraphs do stand out:

There is a "vision" statement:

Citizens, business and government can enjoy the full benefits of a safe, secure and resilient cyber space: working together, at home and overseas, to understand and address the risks, to reduce the benefits to criminals and terrorists, and to seize opportunities in cyber space to
enhance the UK's overall security and resilience.

Incredibly, for a document which must have been approved by Admiral Lord West of Spithead, the unelected, democratically unaccountable Home Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Security and Counter-terrorism), and a former Chief of Defence Intelligence and former First Sea Lord in charge of the entire Royal Navy, there is an astonishing reference to military history, both in the Executive Summary and repeated in the Conclusion, and also quoted in the Press Release

Just as in the 19th century we had to secure the seas for our national safety and prosperity, and in the 20th century we had to secure the air, in the 21st century we also have to secure our advantage in cyber space. This Strategy - our first national Strategy for cyber security - is an important step towards that goal.

[...]

4.2 Just as in the 19th century we had to secure the seas for our national safety and prosperity, and in the 20th century we had to secure the air, in the 21st century we also have to secure our position in cyber space.

So is the plan to create a militarily dominant Cyber Space Military Force, capable of taking on not just one, but any two potential global adversaries simultaneously, like the Royal Navy was designed to do in the 19th and 20th centuries ?

When exactly in the 20th century did the UK "secure the air" ? After the end of the First World War, Britain was never again the dominant "air power".

There is a mention of an unspecified UK offensive military Cyber Space attack capability, as well as of vague defensive capabilities.

2.11 We also recognise that when criminals, terrorists and others use cyber space for malicious purposes they are also exposing themselves to new risks. Cyber space is therefore a useful domain for the UK to exploit to our advantage in fighting crime and terrorism, as well as in the military sphere.

2.12 There is an ongoing and broad debate regarding what 'cyber warfare' might entail, but it is a point of consensus that with a growing dependence upon cyber space, the defence and exploitation of information systems are increasingly important issues for national security. We recognise the need to develop military and civil capabilities, both nationally and with allies, to ensure we can defend against attack, and take steps against adversaries where necessary.

That does not appear to be equivalent to the Royal Navy's "two fleets" strategy of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Of course, anything which might actually be useful in a detailed, informed, public debate on this Strategy, is being kept secret:

1.4. There is obviously a degree to which the disclosure of information regarding the UK's cyber security capabilities could be exploited by potential adversaries. Balanced against this risk, however, is the Government's strong belief in making public as much information as possible. In this document we have made every effort to withhold only information which
would compromise our national security aims were it to be released.

Further detailed disclosures might "compromise our national security aims" if those aims include "Being Seen To Be Doing Something" and "Not Being Criticised For Incompetence".They would not necessarily worsen the real threats to national security.

There are some weasel worded promises:

Our approach will be proportionate to the risks and we will put the protection and promotion of our fundamental rights and values at the heart of our work.

[...]

Security and Liberty

1.12 The Government believes that the continuing openness of the Internet and cyber space is fundamental to our way of life, promoting the free flow of ideas to strengthen democratic ideals and deliver the economic benefits of globalisation. Our approach seeks to preserve and
protect the rights to which we are accustomed (including privacy and civil liberties) because it is on these rights that our freedoms depend. A fundamental challenge for any government is to balance measures intended to protect security and the right to life with the impact they may have on the other rights that we cherish and which form the basis of our society.

1.13 Cyber security poses particular challenges in meeting the tests of necessity and proportionality, as the distributed, de-centralised form of cyber space means that a wide range of tools must be deployed to tackle those who wish to use it to harm the UK's interests. A clear ethical foundation and appropriate safeguards on use are essential to ensure that the power of these tools is not abused.

However, exactly the same sort of Orwellian newspeak is used by Labour politicians and Civil Servants to describe the existing Database State Surveillance policies, which only pay lip service to the Principles of Data Protection and our Fundamental Human Rights to privacy, free speech, freedom to travel, freedom to associate etc.

The Strategy seems to be mainly a job creation scheme for another layer of bureaucracy:

To address the UK's cyber security challenges, the Government will:

Establish a cross-government programme with additional funding to address the following priority areas in pursuit of the UK's strategic cyber security objectives:

Safe Secure & Resilient Systems
Policy, Doctrine, Legal & Regulatory issues
Awareness & Culture Change
Skills & Education
Technical Capabilities & Research and Development
Exploitation
International Engagement
Governance, Roles & Responsibilities

Work closely with the wider public sector, industry, civil liberties groups, the public and with international partners;

Set up an Office of Cyber Security (OCS) to provide strategic leadership for and coherence across Government;

How much "additional funding" ? Will this be "new money" or simply the usual Labour government "double counting" of already allocated existing budgets ?

At least 8 bureaucratic "workstream" committees, with plenty of foreign travel for "consultation" with "partners" will be set up.

N.B. there are no quantitatively measurable criteria which would allow the public to judge if this Office of Cyber Security is a success or a failure

There are parallels with the now defunct, yet arguably more powerful, Office of the E-envoy.

Create a Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) to:

actively monitor the health of cyber space and co-ordinate incident response;

enable better understanding of attacks against UK networks and users;

provide better advice and information about the risk to business and the public.

So what is the Cyber Security Operations Centre going to do , which the other existing agencies and quangos are not already doing e.g. CESG, CPNI, CERT, CEOP, SOCA, MI5, Police Computer Crime units etc?

3 Comments

By Mayur on June 29, 2009 4:37 PM

This is just a strategy - the critique here is looking at the tactical and operational arguments. Surely, those answers will come in due course.

Having a strategy is a start. Given the observable damage that is caused through cyber space, I am proud that our Government is taking steps to address this are.

Finally, the OCS cannot be compared to the OeE, which was much more generic. The OCS is a specifically focused department for a specific threat, which has ramification on our national security.

By wtwu on June 30, 2009 12:04 PM

@ Mayur - there have been plenty of aspirational or propaganda "strategies" in the past, but little practical, effective action.

The Office of the e-Envoy, at least when it was led by Alex Allan (who subsequently became a Permanent Secretary and then the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee), had direct contact with the then Prime Minister.

This announcement seems to imply that the Office of Cyber Security will not have even that level of influence, and will have no real power over other Government departments, or agencies, or the private sector providers of the Critical National Infrastructure.

By dreamingspire on July 11, 2009 6:31 AM

And the later eGovernment Unit in Cabinet Office also had direct PM contact - but at the end of 2004 he blocked its plans to sort out government ICT.

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UK Cyber Security Strategy - even more bureaucracy, but no financial budget, legislative power or democratic accountibility

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Convention on Modern Liberty - 28th Feb 2009

David Davis for Freedom

House of Lords Constitution Committee - Surveillance: Citizens and the State

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Privacy and Security

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Judicial Links

Parliamentary Opposition

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NIR and ID cards

Surveillance Infrastructures

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UK Cyber Security Strategy - even more bureaucracy, but no financial budget, legislative power or democratic accountibility

Tags:

3 Comments

Leave a comment

About this blog

Email Contact

Hints and Tips for Whistleblowers and Political Dissidents

Convention on Modern Liberty - 28th Feb 2009

David Davis for Freedom

House of Lords Constitution Committee - Surveillance: Citizens and the State

Links

Privacy and Security

Human Rights

Internet Censorship

Judicial Links

Parliamentary Opposition

UK Government

Online Media

NIR and ID cards

Surveillance Infrastructures

RFID Links

Genetic Links

Miscellanous Links

Former Spies

Blog Links

Other Links

RIPA Consultations

Counter Terrorism Bills

Syndicate this site (XML):

Search

Recent Comments

Recent Entries

Categories

Monthly Archives

August 2009

UK Legislation

UK Commissioners

UK Intelligence Agencies

Campaign Button Links

Tag Cloud

Technorati