The UK government worked closely with partners across industry and international allies to ensure the 2024 General Election was safe from cyberattacks.
Appearing at the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas, Felicity Oswald, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) outlined how security measures were in place to bolster cyber resilience in advance of polling day.
Oswald was joined in the conference’s keynote panel session by Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Hans de Vries, COO of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
Oswald pointed out that significant digital infrastructure needs to be made secure, and “many individuals and organisations involved in our electoral processes to protect from capable cyber actors.”
In an additional blog post, Oswald wrote: “Delivering an election with less than seven weeks’ notice showed hugely impressive agility by the UK Electoral Commission, local authorities and others. And doing so securely at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, enhanced cyber threats and unprecedented technological change is an even greater feat.
“I’m proud of the role the NCSC played in delivering this, working alongside policing, the civil service, the crown service, central and local government, the NPSA and private sector organisations.”
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Engagement from all stakeholders
Oswald said the public and private sectors worked together with “efforts driven by the assessments, insights and intelligence we can access by being part of GCHQ.”
They exercised potential scenarios, such as responding to concurrent incidents, to test readiness, advised key stakeholders on how to bolster their defences, and provided support and services to individuals at higher risk of targeting by nation-state actors.
“Cybersecurity is a team sport and in liberal democracies, we all have a stake in safeguarding our democratic values and institutions from online threats,” said Oswald.
The chief executive also said that as cyber threats become more complex, “a balance needs to be struck between openness and the technical assurance provided by experts.
“To succeed, we need engagement from all stakeholders – tech companies, civil society leaders, and the public. And we need to keep working together internationally, throughout our respective election cycles, to share insights and reflections for our collective benefit.”
