Welsh government launches UK's first national SOC

Welsh government unveils new scheme to protect its public sector organisations and the data of its citizens from cyberattacks

The Welsh government has launched the first national scheme of its kind in the UK, to protect Welsh local authorities and all fire and rescue services in Wales from cyberattacks.

Led by the Welsh government, in collaboration with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, CymruSOC will help ensure key organisations can continue offering critical services without disruption due to cyberattacks.

The SOC service, which will be managed by Cardiff-based firm, Socura, will safeguard the data of the majority of the Welsh population, as well as 60,000 employees across the public sector.

The CymruSOC programme is scheduled to run for three years, with Socura onboarding the first member bodies now.

18 of Wales' 22 local authorities are currently signed up to use CymruSOC. The remaining four are currently utilising their own SOC service.

"The challenges people across Wales have faced in recent years due to the pandemic have shown the importance of digital in our lives," said First Minister, Vaughan Gething.

"It has become central to the way we learn, work, access public services and do business. However, our reliance on digital has also led to a stark increase in the risk of cyberattacks which are becoming ever more common and sophisticated.

"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."

The Socura SOC team will monitor for potential threats such as phishing and ransomware from its 24/7 remote SOC.

In conjunction with the National Cyber Security Centre, CymruSOC will also share threat intelligence information to ensure they are aware of emerging risks.

CEO of Socura, Andy Kays added: "The CymruSOC is a fantastic initiative, and we feel honoured to play a role in keeping Wales secure.

"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.

"People rely on their local council at every stage of their life. It's where they register a birth, apply for schools, housing, and marriage licences, which makes them a prized target for financially motivated cybercriminal groups as well as nation state actors seeking to cause disruption to critical infrastructure.

"It is our job to ensure that these critical services remain unaffected by cybercriminals' attempts to steal data and cause disruption."