UK's National Cyber Force comes out of the shadows
The National Cyber Force's existence has been publicly confirmed after months of speculation and a decade after the UK first began offensive cyber-operations. It will counter threats from terrorists, criminals and hostile states. MI6 officers will work alongside both the cyber-spy agency GCHQ and the military as part of a new unified command. It has been up and running since April. But it was only formally made public by the prime minister on Thursday. Read the full article via the BBC.
The UK created a secretive, elite hacking force. Here's what it does.
The highly secretive world of government-led hacking is slowly opening up. UK officials have revealed that an offensive hacking group has been working against criminals and hostile state activities since April this year and is working on new incidents every day. Instead of focussing on defensive measures, the NCF will be involved in proactive attacks. Read the full article via Wired.
Factbox: What is Britain's National Cyber Force?
What will it do? How does Britain compare to other powers? How has Britain acted in the past in cyberspace? Find out the answers via Reuters.
UK defence now has £16.5bn coming. But where is it going?
Gone are plans to announce the extra funding at the same time as the grand outcome of an integrated review of defence and foreign policy after Brexit, which will now conclude in late January or early February, after an exit deal with the European Union might actually have been sealed.
Instead, along with the promise of new money are a handful of announcements, including a long-planned National Cyber Force of military hackers, a slightly less detailed and rather optimistic-sounding Space Command plus an agency specialising in artificial intelligence whose purpose is far from clear. Read the full article via the Guardian.
New space command and cyber force unveiled in biggest defence investment since Cold War
Boris Johnson has announced the biggest investment in defence since the Cold War, saying the UK has a chance to end an 'era of retreat' with a new space command, cyber force and artificial intelligence agency. The financial boost is set to generate 10,000 jobs a year and demonstrate to allies the UK is a reliable partner, the PM said. Read the full article via Sky News.
