UK SMEs to have their say on measures to manage cyber risks in supply chains

New proposals to help British businesses manage cyber risks attached to supply chains are being considered by the government.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is calling for views on a number of measures to enhance the security of digital supply chains and third party IT services, used by firms for tasks such as data processing and infrastructure management.

The move comes as businesses across the country have increasingly moved towards digital operations following the pandemic.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman commented: “There is a long history of outsourcing of critical services. We have seen attacks such as ‘CloudHopper’ where organisations were compromised through their managed service provider.

“It’s essential that organisations take steps to secure their mission critical supply chains – and remember they cannot outsource risk.

“Firms should follow free government advice on offer. They must take steps to protect themselves against vulnerabilities and we need to ensure third-party kit and services are as secure as possible.”