Telecoms providers will be required to put in place new, stronger security measures to protect UK networks from cyber attacks under plans published by the Government. The new regulations and a code of practice for telecoms firms will compel them to carry out more in-depth risk assessments and tighten security controls, with large fines for those found to be in breach. Digital infrastructure minister Matt Warman said the new rules would introduce “one of the world’s toughest telecoms security regimes” and better protect UK networks from current and future threats. The new rules, which have been developed with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and industry regulator Ofcom, are to be introduced as secondary legislation in Parliament as part of the Telecommunications (Security) Act, which became law last November.
More information: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/government-lays-plans-protect-telecoms-124314592.html
This is certainly a move in the right direction. Everyone in the UK is connected to the internet through their telecoms provider. Having these regulations introduced now will ensure we are more futureproof against cyber-attacks. Although telecom providers already have stringent security measures in place, having these hefty new fines assigned to these measures will help ensure they are strictly followed and that any outstanding security issues are resolved much faster to avoid huge fines.
Establishing new rules have been the need of the hour. The second most important aspect of any kind of critical infrastructure, after its functionality of course, has been security. Appropriate security measures are key to the success as well as protection of any telecom infrastructure.With the wide capability of 5G, it has become more crucial than ever to define security policies and measures, and drive them via regulations which can be used effectively by the telecom firms to manufacture and implement more secure products. Enabling various telecom manufacturers to test their equipment against defined security policies and measures, setting up of standards etc. will not only help individual vendors build robust and secure products, but also ensure that the supply chain is intact. To top this, it would be good to see a new automation framework for testing and managing the test beds and lab infrastructure. This will not only enable organisations to identify issues much earlier, but will also decrease the cost significantly. These regulations not only help streamline the process of security maturity but also ensures the nation’s safety from cyber attacks.