Cyber Security Approach Should Not Be Fear-Driven, Says NCSC Chief

With the rising frequency and scope of cyber attacks, it has become crucial that companies and government as well don't operate over fear-based cybersecurity approach. According to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre Chief Ciaran Martin, the fear-driven cybersecurity approach won't be helpful for users and it can neither prevent attacks.

Martin considers cyber-arm of GCHQ as a tool to scare people to stay secure online. He compared the government's approach to cybersecurity and Pixar Movie and said, "Four years ago, as GCHQ and government, we were still reluctantly in the role of the 'Monsters Inc' Top Scarcer. We still had to convince people about the threat and that it was all very scary and so forth." He was addressing Infosecurity Europe 2019 in London.

Due to this approach, even the organization got scared and outsourced their cyber security as they believed that they could not get the hold of the problem themselves. According to NCSC chief, this is definitely not the correct approach towards cybersecurity.

Martin also quoted that, "That wasn't the answer: the answer was people needing to own the problem for themselves. So in the last few years, we've been moving away from a fear-based approach to cybersecurity towards a pragmatic one where we're trying to enable people to get on top of the problem."

An Integrated Approach to 5G Cyber Security

The NCSC chief also delivered his thoughts regarding debate and argument that followed for several months over China-based Huawei technology firm. The issue of concern was that China is constructing a 5G network for the UK and what its possible outcome could be for national security.

Notably, President Donald Trump has already banned Huawei infrastructure from the USA.

However, the NCSC chief argued that the debate should be about 5G as a whole rather than revolving around one supplier.

Ciaran Martin stated, "We have to get 5G network security right — and that's a much bigger issue than the national identity of suppliers. We've had all sorts of debates about the globalization and the role of China; there's an absolutely legitimate debate to have, and we'll talk about it more when the government has reached a final decision."

According to Martin, cybersecurity experts should analyze and discuss the 5G security, as of now, to get the assurance that whosoever builds it, should be secure and in public welfare

He further explained, "For 5G security as a whole, we really need as experts to be talking about each bit and what we need to do to secure them — and we need to do that in an orderly and objective a way as possible."

The NCSC chief added, "Because it'd be a real shame if one of the consequences of this 5G debate would be if we allowed the fear back into cybersecurity, where we had people scared of technology again because they shouldn't be."