The Welsh government has launched the UK's first national cyber protection scheme, CymruSOC, to defend its local authorities and fire services from cyberattacks.
This initiative, in collaboration with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, will be managed by Cardiff-based Socura. It aims to secure the data of most Welsh residents and 60,000 public employees.
The three-year programme has begun onboarding its first members. Currently, 18 of 22 Welsh local authorities have enrolled, with the remaining four using their own SOC services.
"CymruSOC is a first of its kind solution with social partnership at its heart – ensuring we take a ‘defend as one' approach. It's a vital part of our Cyber Action Plan for Wales, which – one year since its launch – is making good progress to protect public services and strengthen cyber resilience and preparedness,” said First Minister, Vaughan Gething.
Socura's 24/7 operations centre will combat threats like phishing and ransomware, while also sharing intelligence with the National Cyber Security Centre to anticipate new risks.
CEO of Socura, Andy Kays added: "By sharing a SOC, and threat intel, across all Welsh local authorities, even the smallest Welsh town will now have the expertise and defences of a large modern enterprise organisation.”
