Lessons in cyber security will now be stepped up in schools in
the hope of creating a new generation of IT specialists who can
counter hackers, state sponsored attacks and online criminals.
The country’s critical infrastructure, such as emergency
services, communications, transport and utilities are also under
threat because companies are not taking cyber security seriously
enough, the National Audit Office report said. The UK suffered
44 million cyber attacks in 2011 – the equivalent of 120,000 a
day – and it is estimated to cost the country up to £27 billion
a year. But there is a lack of skilled people available to
properly protect against such incidents, the report said. It
said the number of specialists in the UK has not increased in
line with the growth of the internet. It said the shortage of
skills “hampers the UK’s ability to protect itself in
cyberspace” and that the current pipeline of available talent
would not meet demand. “Those we interviewed from academia
considered that it would take up to 20