UK Must Strengthen Cybersecurity for 2012 Olympics

It might be more than three years away, but the 2010 Summer Olympics are coming to London, says one British official. And that’s a perfect opportunity to drive progress toward a world-class standard of cybersecurity.

In an article on the Computer Weekly, Warwick Ashford says the UK’s former home secretary David Blunket made the remarks at last week’s Infosecurity Europe conference. He said the public and private sector need to be more aware of cybercrime.

“People have got to understand that we are in an entirely different world now than we were even five years ago,” Blunkett said at the event. He warned that a cyberattack could cause devastating disruption to the 2012 Olympic Games, but it is the missing element in the government’s defence strategy.

That’s why he recommends the British government use the London Olympics as a rallying point to set the standard for tackling national cybersecurity.

“We need to put cyber alongside chemical, biological and radiological threats,” he warned, pointing out that although there are three years left, that’s a very short time to get proper plans in place. “We need to be ahead of those who would damage us rather than a step behind.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/04/27/235788/uk-must-strengthen-cybersecurity-for-2012-olympics-warns.htm