Helen Grant MP

The digital revolution has been undeniably transformational, bringing endless opportunities through vast social and economic change. Like all great revolutions however, it presents new risks to our safety. Moving forward one of our greatest challenges as a nation will be cyber crime.

The UK has one of the most digitally dependent economies in the world, with the sector worth an estimated £118bn a year. In the past three months alone, there have been nearly 200 recorded cyber attacks in the UK. This poses a threat not only to our national digital infrastructure but also hampers the confidence of consumers and businesses.

Whilst this is happening on the national stage, it also affects individuals with breaches of personal information in some of our biggest companies such as Yahoo, TalkTalk, Tesco and Lloyds, to name a few, not to mention the spam emails, text messages and phone calls that many fall victim to. It is only natural that when these incidents occur, we question the safety of our personal data and who we are able to trust in protecting it.

The government has shown a commitment to tackling this issue, with the Queen opening the new National Cyber Security Centre this week. The hub aims to improve Britain’s resilience to cyber attacks and protect the economy and wider society. This is not however a fight that can be fought alone, it needs support from business. Many large businesses reported cyber attacks in the past year yet nine out of 10 do not have an incident management plan in the event of a security breach. Support will be offered by the specialised centre to prioritise tackling this challenge.

It is clear modern day crime has evolved and we must all play our part by remaining vigilant. Visit www.getsafeonline.org.