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The Policy Institute
Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy

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Active Cyber Defence: A public good for the private sector

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The UK’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme has been a key aspect of the work of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in improving public-sector cybersecurity since late 2016.

According to the NCSC, it has, through a range of ACD measures, objectively reduced the threat of cybercrime to government agencies and service users. On the basis of this success, NCSC has begun to promote ACD as a means of countering low-level cybercriminality and its effects on individuals, businesses, charities and other organisations beyond the public sector. It aims thereby to deliver on the core aspirations of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, specifically its commitment to defending UK assets and interests in cyberspace.

This report explores the implications of scaling up ACD to the national level and expanding it beyond the public sector.