'Fusion cell' targets cyber threat

Cyber security experts from industry are to operate alongside the intelligence agencies for the first time in an attempt to combat the growing online threat to Britain's firms.

The Government is establishing a new "fusion cell" where analysts from MI5 and GCHQ will work side-by-side with private sector counterparts.

The cell is part of the Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership (CISP), intended to provide industry with a forum to disseminate details of techniques used by online attackers as well as methods of countering them.

At any one time there will be around 12 to 15 analysts working at the cell, based at an undisclosed location in London.

"What the fusion cell will be doing is pulling together a single, richer intelligence picture of what is going on in cyberspace and the threats attacking the UK," one senior official said.

"What we are trying to do is get that better intelligence picture and push it out to industry in a way that they can take action on, so it is very action-orientated."

Although the industry representatives will not have direct access to classified intelligence material, they will have to undergo security vetting.

The CISP initiative grew out of talks in 2011 between industry and Prime Minister David Cameron. It led to a pilot project last year involving 80 leading companies, codenamed Programme Auburn.

It will be established on a permanent footing and expanded to cover 160 firms from the finance, defence, energy, telecoms and pharmaceutical sectors.

With firms deeply reluctant to discuss cyber attacks or breaches of security in public, officials acknowledge that confidentiality is crucial, so companies involved will not be named.