Cyber Security and Resilience Bill introduced in King’s Speech

The introduction of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill in today's King's Speech – the first time ‘cyber security’ has been mentioned in the title of primary legislation – will be key to keeping the UK safe from rising cyberattacks, bringing the UK’s cyber regime in line with the EU’s Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS2) requirements in several ways.

This will include extension of the coverage of NIS1 to additional sectors delivering critical national infrastructure, beyond the current list of energy, transport, health, drinking water supply and distribution and digital infrastructure. The CS&R is also expected to align with NIS2 when it comes to incident reporting requirements and the robustness of cyber security measures.

With cybercrime increasing by nearly a third last year, it is heartening to see the Government prioritise updates to our cyber laws. We look forward to working with the Government on further ways to upgrade the country’s cyber resilience, particularly on any efforts to tackle the outdated Computer Misuse Act 1990. Updating the Act will enable the UK's cyber professionals to better protect the UK online, safeguarding the digital economy and unlocking the full growth potential of our cyber security industry.