Britain will try to bolster defences against cyber attack by encouraging companies to overcome their reluctance to admit computer security breaches and share their experiences with each other, the government said on Friday. Companies from five strategic sectors - defence, telecoms, finance, pharmaceuticals and energy - will take part in a pilot with the government starting in December to exchange information on cyber attacks and threats to their businesses.
Britain, where six percent of GDP is generated by the internet, says cyber crime is being committed on an "industrial scale" and costs its economy 27 billion pounds ($42 billion) a year. Government networks are under siege from more than 20,000 malicious emails every month.
It hopes the cyber security "hub" linking government and corporates will lead to greater openness about internet threats and create a more effective shield against them. A British official said the government's involvement would mean companies could report cyber attacks without their identity being revealed, a concern that has prevented many disclosures.
The pilot, part of a 650-million-pound ($1 billion) programme over four years, will also help to raise protection for critical infrastructure from an emerging threat of cyber attack from militant groups, the government said. Britain did not detail the companies taking part in the pilot.
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