The urgency of this action cannot be overstated. The NCSC Annual Review 2025 reported a 50% increase in highly significant incidents last year, while the National Audit Office’s 2025 report highlighted that Government has not improved its cyber resilience quickly enough to meet previous targets. Significant challenges remain related to legacy systems, unclear responsibilities, and skills gaps. Against this backdrop, it is encouraging to see the Government acting decisively, backed by £210 million of funding, to tackle these challenges head-on and protect essential public services.
Led by a new Government Cyber Unit, the plan sets out measures to coordinate risk management, accelerate incident response, and raise resilience standards across departments. In doing so, it is essential that progress is tracked against clear, measurable targets and that the best of UK cyber expertise is utilised, collaborating across the public and private sectors to co-innovate cutting-edge defences in the wake of evolving threats.
The UK Government also detailed the new Software Security Ambassador Scheme, which will drive adoption of the Software Security Code of Practice. The scheme is a voluntary framework designed to reduce software supply chain attacks and disruption. NCC Group has worked closely with Government for many years to enhance national resilience and is proud to support the scheme as an Ambassador, championing practical implementation with customers and partners across sectors.
Mike Maddison, CEO of global cyber security company NCC Group, said:
“The Government’s new Cyber Action Plan is a timely and necessary step. Cyber threats are now a daily reality for organisations delivering vital public services, reflected in the 50% increase in highly significant incidents handled by the NCSC last year.
“It is therefore welcome to see the Government acting decisively, backed by £210 million of funding, to address long-standing challenges such as legacy systems, skills gaps and unclear accountability. To succeed, progress must be tracked against clear, measurable targets and supported by collaboration across the public and private sectors, drawing on the UK’s world-leading cyber expertise.
“As a long-standing partner to the UK Government, and having contributed to the Software Security Code of Practice since its inception, NCC Group is proud to be a Software Security Ambassador. We are committed to promoting the Code’s principles and working closely with the Government to strengthen resilience across the UK’s critical services and supply chains.”
