Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK military technology is protected from cyber attacks.

We take the growing threat of cyber attacks on our networks, systems and technology extremely seriously, and are taking action to defend against increasingly sophisticated attacks. Our systems are regularly targeted by criminals, foreign intelligence services and other malicious actors seeking to exploit Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel, disrupt MOD business and operations, corrupt our systems and steal information. This is not unique to the MOD; other Government Departments and businesses are also affected.

In October 2016 we announced that the UK will invest £265 million to boost the defence of military cyber systems. This investment, supporting the new Cyber Vulnerability Investigations programme, will help the MOD better understand the cyber risks to our military equipment and systems. This will complement the £40 million investment into the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), enhancing our ability to secure Defence networks and systems against cyber threats.

Building on pioneering MOD science and technology, the MOD has completed cyber vulnerability investigations for a range of Defence systems and platforms, and is successfully mainstreaming the process into its ways of working.