Government wants to ban potential cyber crooks from the internet

THE TWO HEADED UK coalition Government has published its Cyber Security Strategy and explained how it thinks it can help protect computer systems.

It's rare that governments improve anything by getting involved, but here UK Prime Minister David Cameron thinks that it can really do something positive by talking more to businesses, by changing the way in which crimes are reported and investigated, and by being a lot more draconian.

The strategy published by the cabinet office (PDF) sees a more secure future that is aided by government and private sector collaboration and a more ready to act police force. The Government said this will make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business. And yes, we know, it would say that, wouldn't it.

Increasing dependence on digital technologies has given rise to new risks, says the report, and even easily confused government mandarins are being targeted with malicious emails. Helping fight cyber criminals is a £650m kitty that will be spent over the next four years, said the Cabinet Office today as it trotted out a figure we have heard repeatedly in the past.

"While the internet is undoubtedly a force for social and political good, as well as crucial to the growth of our economy, we need to protect against the threats to our security. This strategy not only deals with the threat from terrorists to our national security, but also with the criminals who threaten our prosperity as well as blight the lives of many ordinary people through cyber crime," said Prime Minister David Cameron without prompting.

"Cyber security is a top priority for government and we will continue to work closely with the police, security services, international partners and the private sector to ensure that the UK remains one of the most secure places in the world to do business."

Behind the chat there are plans including a cyber security hub. This will let businesses share information about cyber threats with the government and each other. The government said that it will begin a pilot hub next month with five businesses from the defence, telecoms, finance, pharmaceuticals and energy industries.

The government will rely on external specialists - it called them "cyber specials" - to help its police investigators, and said that it could use them as part of a dedicated unit in the UK's National Crime Agency.

This unit, which will be made up of police, and people that are not police but are only volunteering, will be part of the response to major national incidents, it added, and will work alongside the Serious Organisation Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police Central E-crime Unit.

Once they have been swelled by this new-found power, agencies will be encouraged to "make more use of existing cyber sanctions for cyber offences", says the strategy, before casually mentioning that this will include restricting someone's access to the internet or messaging services, "when there is strong reason to believe someone is likely to commit further serious cyber crime offences".

We've seen hackers get communication bans before - see the case of Topiary - and indeed the government bought up the threat of hacktivists in its report.

"The threat to the UK from politically motivated activist groups operating in cyberspace is real. Attacks on public and private sector websites and online services in the UK orchestrated by 'hacktivists' are becoming more common, aimed at causing disruption, reputational and financial damage, and gaining publicity," it warns.

More innocent internet users will be helped to better navigate the web wasteland through kite marks for security software, an idea that the government has touted before, more security help from ISPs and a nudge in the direction of the Get Safe Online educational campaign. In the case of the latter a web site will offer diagnosis tools that, like the NHS direct pages, will let them work out what the problem is for themselves. µ