Active Cyber Defence 2.0 is set to redefine the landscape of cyber security services through collaboration with both industry and academic partners. As the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), our mission is to offer a comprehensive array of services designed to fortify organisations against cyber threats. While some of these services are delivered directly by us, leveraging our unique capabilities, others are provided by trusted industry partners with our endorsement. We continuously evaluate our offerings, aiming to transition responsibilities to industry where suitable. In the coming month, we will share more details about our strategic approach for industry-delivered services.
Active Cyber Defence (ACD) has achieved global recognition for its effectiveness in bolstering national cyber resilience on a broad scale, simultaneously increasing the costs for adversaries. This protection encompasses various aspects, from addressing security vulnerabilities to proactively detecting and disrupting cyber attacks.
Our current suite of services originated in 2017. Although they have been refined over time, the core services have remained relatively stable. However, the cyber capabilities of our stakeholders and the offerings from the private sector have advanced significantly, paralleling the evolution of the threat landscape.
To maximise our impact, the NCSC must focus on areas where we offer unique value, particularly where commercial options are lacking or where our affiliation with GCHQ enables us to enhance resilience on a larger scale. In response to these evolving needs, we are exploring new delivery models and partnerships to develop an advanced suite of services under ACD 2.0.
In light of the modern cyber threat landscape, we must ask: What should our services entail? Where can we gain a strategic advantage in cyber defence? Is it time to expand our focus beyond the public sector?
For ACD 2.0, we have established the following principles:
- The NCSC will provide solutions only where the market falls short—leveraging our unique governmental position, scaling capabilities, and authorities.
- We aim to transition most new, successful services to other government sectors or private entities within three years for ongoing management.
ACD 2.0 will be a collaborative effort involving the NCSC, the broader cyber security community within government, and crucially, industry and academia. By harnessing our distinct position, we aim to significantly enhance cyber resilience on a grand scale.
We invite you to participate in this endeavour. As we advance ACD 2.0, our initial focus is on refining our attack surface management suite, including Web Check, Mail Check, and Early Warning.
We have gained valuable insights from these services and are eager to collaborate with industry partners on new experiments. We welcome your ideas and innovations in this area.
If you have an attack surface management solution or proposals for future experiments and wish to collaborate with the NCSC, please reach out.
Ollie Whitehouse, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), NCSC
Jonathon Ellison, Director of National Resilience, NCSC
