The group, which is called the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP), is aimed at tackling the growing threat of hacking and other such attacks.
The partnership includes the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), as well as nine companies: BAE Systems, BT, Cassidian, CGI, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, Selex ES and Thales UK.
In 2010, the UK government made cyber security one of its top national defence priorities. The country is said to encounter approximately 70 sophisticated cyber attacks per month, with 15% of that targeting the defence sector.
By sharing information and experience, the DCCP plans to bolster the cyber defences of its members and the UK defence sector as a whole. It also hopes to act as a useful template to be followed by commercial sectors to improve resilience across UK industry.
Security firms and telecoms companies alike have enhanced their focus on cyber security in 2013, with Vodafone and BAE systems signing a strategic five-year partnership to provide mobile users with more effective security solutions.
