Fine could go up to £17m
Energy, transport, water, health and digital infrastructure firms could could face fines of up to £17m if they fail to develop robust cyber defences. The new guidance in the face of “increasing number of threats” follows on from a consultation launched last August.
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published a detailed guidance on the security measures, which will help organisations assess cyber threats and prevent instances such as power outages, hardware failures and environmental hazards.
Margot James, the minister for digital, told Sky News: “Today we are setting out new and robust cybersecurity measures to help ensure the UK is the safest place in the world to live and be online.
“We want our essential services and infrastructure to be primed and ready to tackle cyberattacks and be resilient against major disruption to services.”
Making critical firms pay up for failing to meet cybersecurity standards would only be a “last resort” according to the Government, which wants to see a voluntary uptake of the new rules before they come into effect on 10 May.
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