Steven Marlow, CISSP

Today we published the government's 🇬🇧 UK Cyber Security Sectoral Analysis 2025. It shows another year of very strong growth for the UK cyber sector: ⬆️ Sector revenue up by 12% ⬆️ Gross Value Added (GVA) up by 21% ⬆️ Employment up by 11% The UK cyber sector is a consistent high performer and we have been measuring this performance since 2017. The compound annual growth rate for sector revenue works out at 13%. While venture capital investment has not grown this year, investors surveyed remain bullish and there has been significant other investment activity in the UK market including mergers, acquisitions, loan and equity funding. https://lnkd.in/ea_fMdez Department for Science, Innovation and Technology / techUK / CyberFirst / National Cyber Security Centre / Plexal Cyber / UK Cyber Security Council / UKC3 - UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration / Cyber Security Academic Startup Programme

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BREAKING: Middlesbrough Council has allocated £25,000 to cyber security for the next 12 months - safeguarding £300 million in public funds, services, and citizen data. That’s 0.0083% of annual turnover. Or £0.11 per resident. Or roughly the cost of a mid-range firewall and a motivational poster about password hygiene. In an era of ransomware-as-a-service, AI-driven fraud, and cascading supply chain breaches, this is a bold gesture - not toward resilience, but toward plausible deniability. What does £25,000 buy you in 2025? • A phishing simulation, two awareness emails, and a laminated “Think Before You Click” sign • A procurement trail proving “something was done” • A future FOI response that reads: “Cyber security measures were in place at the time.” Obviously tongue in cheek, as hopefully they’ve allocated more budget and resources toward cyber security than this, but it got my attention anyway. :) #CyberSecurity #LocalGovernment #DigitalRisk #SymbolicSpending #Middlesbrough #PublicSectorPriorities #Procurement #Accountability #LinkedInIrony

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Companies House has confirmed that compulsory identity verification for directors, LLP members and PSCs will begin on 18 November 2025, with Personal Identification Codes tied to confirmation statements and new appointments. This is a big step for the UK’s corporate register. Stronger identity at the point of control helps close gaps that enable fraud and opaque ownership. But success will come down to execution. What matters next: • Treat this as more than a filing change. Build it into director onboarding and governance, just as you would KYC. • Keep it simple for legitimate users. GOV.UK One Login and authorised corporate service providers both need to deliver a smooth, secure experience. • Plan early. Map your first confirmation statement after 18 November, brief directors and PSCs, and test your process well ahead of the deadline. Identity is a foundation, not a box-ticking exercise. Done well, these checks will strengthen trust in UK business without creating unnecessary friction for genuine people. https://lnkd.in/en7SttQk

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🚀 Exciting news for aspiring cyber security professionals! The UK Cyber Security Council, in partnership with the UKC3 - UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), has launched the Cyber Access Network (CAN)—a free initiative funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to help bridge the cyber skills gap. Whether you're a student starting out or a career changer exploring new opportunities, CAN provides: ✅ Networking with industry professionals ✅ Informative & interactive webinars ✅ Exclusive insights into the cyber security sector 🔗 Learn More > https://bit.ly/can-bb  🔗 Sign up today and take your first step into cyber security! > https://bit.ly/canrf-bb #CyberSecurity #Careers #CyberAccessNetwork #Networking #TechJobs

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❗New Research - Cyber Security in CNI 2025❗ At last week's CNI Cyber Security Summit, we launched our annual research looking at the top cyber threats, trends and challenges facing UK CNI organisations in 2025. Now in it's fifth consecutive year, the research surveyed over 600 respondents across critical sectors. Some of our key findings were: 👉95% of organisations surveyed have experienced a data breach 👉41% of CNI organisations rank data protection as one of their biggest security challenges. 👉37% of CNI organisations have experienced costs in excess of £500,001 due to ransomware Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eC8ceFsQ #CNIResearch2025 #CyberSecurity

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The ICO’s New Focus – Training and Evidence for Compliance Having a GDPR policy is no longer enough. The ICO now expects organisations to: 🔹Deliver role-based data protection training to all staff 🔹Provide regular refreshers to keep knowledge up to date 🔹Evidence compliance by showing how training reduces risk and improves practice Our latest blog explains what these updated expectations mean and how you can turn compliance into culture across your organisation. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/e5FK7-ra Are your training programmes fit for purpose, or just a box-ticking exercise?

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Glasgow City Council announced on Wednesday being impacted by a cyber incident which it said was “disrupting a number of online services and which may have involved the theft of customer data.” The nature of the incident hasn’t been confirmed. It was uncovered by the council’s IT supplier CGI last week, “on servers managed by a third-party supplier,” according to the council’s statement. Day-to-day digital and online services have been disrupted by the council taking the affected servers offline. Its statement included an apology “for the anxiety and inconvenience this incident and the necessary response to it will undoubtedly cause.” #cybersecurity #CNI #Glasgow

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📣 The ICO needs to become a deterrent for vendors that are cybersecurity negligent. 📣 We have tried the hand-holding “collaborative” approach and it only works with smaller companies. 📣 Too many large entities, especially selling to public sector like the NHS, are demonstrating ignorance at best and negligence at worst when it comes to their cybersecurity responsibilities. 📣 They’re putting public safety at risk. 🚨 If it was me I would be funding and enhancing the ICO mandate to kick doors down, instigate surprise audits, conduct robust/rapid investigations and instigate/issue civil and criminal proceedings/penalties consistently. 🚨 The UK Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill is laying a foundation for this but the ICO needs to be enhanced to meet the threats of the 21st century. 💬 Change my mind. Sam Shah Dr Saira G. Clive Flashman 💙 Shaun Van Niekerk, CISSP Stewart Duffy Robin Carpenter Nasser Arif Dean Mawson Dr. Zhong Wei Khor Christopher McGrath Lee Hibbert MSc BEd Cert Ed The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP Peter Kyle Alex Barclay #cybersecurity #nationalsecurity #patientsafety #publicsafety #publichealth #cybercrime #cyberwarfare #regulations

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LDC-backed FSP has acquired Stratia Cyber, a provider of consultancy cyber security services. This acquisition will further enhance FSP's ability to deliver end-to-end cyber protection and defence for clients. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eVrC4DgY #TrustedwithAmbition

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As a Delivery Partner for the National Cyber Security Centre's Assured Cyber Incident Response (Level 2) scheme, we are sharing the latest changes to the scheme, including: 🖊️ The Cyber Incident Response Scheme (Level 2) is now called the Cyber Incident Response Standard Level ✅ There is now a prerequisite for all companies to successfully join, and remain members of, the Cyber Incident Response scheme at the Standard Level, before applying to join at the Enhanced Level as an Assured Service Provider Find out more about the changes here https://lnkd.in/epufx9VQ

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