Cyber security must be a national priority to safeguard data troves that are driving big advances in fields including public health but face growing potential risks as they expand, the UK’s new science minister has said.
Digital security was “at the forefront” of official thinking after high-profile ransom attacks and IT breakdowns showed the need to boost defences against hackers and back-up storage options, Lord Patrick Vallance said.
His remarks underscore how harnessing the power of bulk data has stoked extraordinary technological progress while creating bigger targets for criminals and hostile states. The proposed cyber security and resilience bill announced in the King’s Speech last week showed Sir Keir Starmer’s government saw the urgency of action, according to Vallance.