In introducing PwC's biannual report on security breaches, the UK Cabinet minister responsible for cyber security in the UK talked about the three challenges to be addressed by the £650 million new security budget. Firstly, he said, we must tackle cybercrime to make business easier and more successful. Secondly, we must protect the critical national infrastructure. And thirdly, we need to promote international involvement in a co-ordinated security strategy.
It's not going to be easy, he added, but "We've got some strengths." Firstly we're not taking information security as a purely military issue. Cyber security goes beyond the traditional conventional concerns about national security, and there are many actors that need to be involved - specifically noting the role of the universities (which are also within his political remit).
Secondly, he said, "cyber security is not just a government issue." The government, he claimed, is looking for a genuine partnership between the public and private sectors.
And thirdly, "In the UK we already have a range of strong and innovative companies providing world leading security products and services." Security, he added, is a growth area for UK business, "and I intend to get to know these companies better."
Refreshingly, perhaps, he did not pluck some huge figure from the ether, and say this is what it costs us. It is difficult to cost, he admitted, but we know it costs the UK billions. Nor did he suggest that government initiatives will solve the problem. "There is no such thing as perfect security."
| See Infosecurity magazine interview David Willets MP outside the keynote theater at Infosecurity Europe 2012 |