Cyber Threats and the Security Risks They Pose to National Security: An Assessment of Cybersecurity Policy in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 Pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of organisations and services across the United Kingdom (UK) providing numerous opportunities for economic and social development in the UK. However, these opportunities also bring about unprecedented challenges for law enforcement agencies (LEAs), and has led to the progression of serious and advanced cyber threats. This chapter aims to analyse different types of cyber threats, identify the risk they pose to national security, and provide a critical evaluation of cybersecurity policy in the UK. The chapter will examine how current UK Government policies and practices effectively mitigate the cyber threats to national security, and will explore how these responses can be further developed, with reference to the National Cyber Security Centre, the Active Cyber Defence programme, and the National Cyber Security Strategy 2022–2030. The methodological approach for this chapter utilises a literature-based review to further develop research on the criminological issue of cyber threats, cybersecurity and national security in the UK. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.