In his statement to the House of Commons on the Strategic Defence and Security Review, prime minister David Cameron said the half a billion of new money for a national cyber security programme will “significantly enhance our ability to detect and defend against cyber attacks and fix shortfalls in the critical cyber infrastructure on which the whole country now depends".

“And we will sharpen our readiness to act on civil emergencies, energy security, organised crime, counter proliferation and border security,” he added.

Commenting on the announcement, William Beer, director, OneSecurity, PwC, said: "Fighting the cyber war requires an army of prize troops and we just don't have enough of them at the moment. The people element is often overlooked in building strong cyber defences but this funding will be vital in attracting top talent into the industry as well as providing security professionals with the best training and support."

"Computer systems in the UK are being targeted daily by highly organised cyber criminals and state-led operations from across the globe. They are willing to invest in developing sophisticated attacks and although it's impossible to predict the future, gaining insight into new developments will help to build better defences against potentially crippling cyber attacks," he added.

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