UK finally has a national Computer Emergency Response Team

Taking place today, the UK is finally getting a national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).

CERT-UK will co-ordinate responses to hacking and malware-based cyber attacks on a national level, as part of the government's £650m National Cyber Security Strategy.

CERT-UK has two main roles: incident management response and sharing technical information on attacks.

It states its role as "working with partners across industry, government and academia to enhance the UK’s cyber resilience".

Mike Ellis, chef exec at identity management middleware firm ForgeRock, said: “The creation of the UK'S Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT-UK) is a step in the right direction, but, following delays, it is now long overdue. With a strong leadership team and some key partnerships, CERT is well positioned to develop the UK’s cyber defences against state-sponsored and criminal attacks on critical systems, such as the energy grid and power stations."